J.T. Compher scored in overtime to give the Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night at Rogers Place.
The Oilers started slow after not playing a game in a week and found themselves in a 3-1 hole. They battled back with two third period goals but they failed to pick up the extra point in overtime.
“It’s certainly not an excuse. We got to find a way to get going a little quicker but I do believe we got better as the night went on,” said McLellan when asked about his teams start after the long break. “The group dug in in the third and found a way to claw back and get a point, obviously we needed two but I thought the group got better as the night went on. That can happen, they had played one game already so they got some of the cobwebs out. We will try and get the legs going tomorrow and try and be better against Tampa.”
Oilers forward Drake Caggiula had an up and down night. He scored the Oilers second goal to start the third period rally, but in overtime he felt he could have made a better play earlier on in his shift before the Avalanche scored the winner.
“I made a bad play at the blue line. I turned it over and that gave them an opportunity to play offence,” explained Caggiula. “Then they capitalized on a bouncing puck in front of the net. That’s the way it goes, I should have done a better job at the blue line. I shouldn’t have made that pass and maybe should just pulled out and made a better play but you live and you learn. We battled back and got one point at least, it’s something to build off moving forward.”
The Avalanche opened the scoring 3:04 into the second period when Nikita Zadorov walked in from the point and fired a shot past Al Montoya. Montoya made an incredible, sprawling glove save on Mikko Rantanen a few minutes later with the Oilers facing a delayed penalty. However, Samuel Girard would score on the ensuing power play to make it 2-0.
Connor McDavid scored a brilliant goal less than two minutes later. After his initial shot was stopped by Colorado’s Jonathan Bernier, McDavid batted the rebound out of the air and under the crossbar for his 16th of the season.
In the final minute of the period, Drake Caggiula was initially awarded a goal when he shoved a rebound past Bernier. However, the Avs successfully challenged for goalie interference as Caggiula was guilty of pushing Bernier’s glove and the puck into the net. The Oilers earned a power play out of the sequence but wound up surrendering a shorthanded goal to Blake Comeau with 28.3 seconds left in the second.
“That was a real kick in the behind for us. You have what you think is a game tying goal, you then go on the power play and we win the draw and we don’t do a good job of boxing out to get to a loose puck and then it leads to miscommunication,” added McLellan. “That took a lot of momentum and life out of us. Certainly the break helped and the we got back after it in the third.”
Caggiula pulled the Oilers within one, seven minutes into the third, by deflecting in Matt Benning’s point shot. With Montoya on the bench for an extra skater, McDavid tied it with 28 seconds left by firing home a rebound off the backboards.
Compher won it 2:28 into overtime, by finishing off a goalmouth scramble.
Montoya started his first game as an Oiler in place of an ill Cam Talbot.
“It was great to play hockey again, the boys battled. Coming into a barn like this, this is why you play hockey,” said Montoya. “The score was tough but it was a battle and I just tried to give the team a chance.”
Defenceman Adam Larsson missed his second-straight game because of a personal issue.
The Oilers (22-24-4) will host Tampa Bay on Monday.
With files from Brenden Ullrich
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