The Toronto Maple Leafs now have company in their infamy.
Last night, something so hard to watch happened that you just know the Toronto Sun is going to make a commemorative cover out of it – the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a three goal lead to the Winnipeg Jets with just minutes remaining in the game, only to lose in overtime.
Sorry, it was the Edmonton Oilers who did that, it’s just that I swear that they changed uniforms for the last ten minutes of that game into something a little leafier.
I honestly feel so bad for the fans of Edmonton right now, because hockey can be a cruel game. I highly doubt any Oilers fans are taking comfort in the fact that they’ve outplayed the Jets this series, and that they have an expected-goals rating of 60% in two of the three games, and are positive expected-goals in all three. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
Can the Oilers Come Back?
Is there anyone out there taking comfort in the fact that they are down 3-0 despite being the better team in three straight games? Probably not, but they should.
Look at these insane numbers in Edmonton’s favor over the first three games of this series: 54% shot-attempts, 55% shots, 56% scoring chances, 60% high-danger scoring chances, 59% expected goals.
Connor Hellebyuck has a 5v5 save percentage of 96% (he must think he’s playing the Toronto Maple Leafs for real) while the Oilers PDO is under 97.
The fact is, coming back from down 3-0 is nearly impossible. It’s only ever happened four times.
But here’s the thing: none of those teams had Connor McDavid, who I think it’s safe to say that at this point he’s on a level with Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Pre-Head Injury Eric Lindros and that’s it.
It’s still not likely, but when you’ve got one of the four best players in the history of the game on your team, it’s not impossible. Especially when he has just three points in three games and no goals. Make no mistake: he is playing amazing. His individual stats are just as insane as ever – he has been completely dominant.
The Oilers are the victims of a classic bad luck and hot goalie combo. The Toronto Maple Leafs know it too well or they be defending champs right now. The Oilers can take hope from the idea that the odds of a comeback are probably similar to the odds the Jets faced last night with ten minutes left in the game.
Hockey is a game where the best team doesn’t always win. In Edmonton, the best team has lost every game of this series, but McDavid is primed to explode, so…….maybe there’s a chance?