A heartbreaker last night in Columbus.
With the season on the line and the clock winding down, Oliver Ekman-Larsson wristed a shot from the point that cleared all the traffic in front and somehow found the back of the net. The goal tied the game at 3 and forced overtime.
In overtime, the Coyotes had two glorious chances to end the game, but it was Columbus' Ryan Johansen who eventually scored, breaking the hearts of anyone excited by OEL's earlier goal.
Losing is always tough, but when your team scores late to tie it up, it always seems like it's meant to be, even if that is rarely the case. When this happens, even though you realize the single point earned is better than nothing, it always seems worse to lose this way.
It was an exciting end to a game that was almost a complete disaster. Columbus forward Blake Comeau scored on a goal that was absolutely pathetic. He took a wrist shot from the corner and Thomas Greiss just completely missed the puck. he stuck his glove out, and the puck, not obscured by any traffic in front or anything, just sailed on past into the back of the net.
After letting in this goal, the team, the fans, me especially, we were all deflated. I was shocked that OEL managed to tie it, because I thought that was it - that it was just too horrible of a goal to allow and still win.
Its not like you can blame Thomas Greiss here. He is what he is - a replacement level player covering for a league allstar and team MVP. The goal that allowed Columbus to take the lead and the goal that allowed Edmonton to tie it on Saturday are two points that you can directly blame on Greiss errors, but to do so is hardly fair. He isn't supposed to be in the net right now. It's just bad luck that he is. If he was a better goalie, he would probably be the starter somewhere else.
So, while it would be easy to blame Greiss, it's important to remember that there is a reason Mike Smith makes the big money. A borderline team attempting to make a run at the playoffs with their backup goalie is commendable. The Coyotes have showed some great heart and determination during this run, and as much as last night's results hurt - since Dallas also won- the team is still alive.
Dallas will play Columbus tonight, and the Coyotes will play Nashville tomorrow. If everything falls the right way tonight and the Coyotes win against Nashville, the two teams will enter the final weekend tied with two games left each. At this point, that is the best we can ask for.
The Coyotes aren't eliminated yet.