No one likes blowing leads, particularly in the third period. The Edmonton Oilers served up a bitter 4-3 OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, and head coach Michel Therrien clearly wasn’t happy about it.
“We didn’t deserve a point tonight,” Therrien said, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.
NHL.com’s Arpon Basu notes that it’s rare for the occasionally grumpy bench boss to be so frank with his criticisms of the team at large:
Don't remember last time Therrien criticized his team that bluntly. Hasn't happened often this season, or even since he became #Habs coach
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 13, 2015
There are a few reasons why one would assume that it was an especially irritating loss.
For one thing, the Oilers obviously aren’t the type of opponent who fill you with fear. Beyond that, it certainly seemed like Edmonton brought more effort to the table; the Oilers generated a 38-26 shot advantage in the game.
Then again, maybe it was just the way the game ended.
Tomas Plekanec had a chance to ice it with an empty-net goal, yet he hesitated at first in looking to set up a teammate for that gimme, ultimately getting his shot blocked. Moments later, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second of the night with less than 30 seconds remaining to send it to OT.
Anton Lander scored the OT winner as Dustin Tokarski looked rather baffled, and just like that, the Habs saw a regulation win turn into an overtime defeat.
Montreal had a chance to improve its situation in a tight race for the Atlantic Division crown. Instead, they unraveled in the closing moments and left their prickly coach fuming.