Draisaitl takes the blame for loss after lazy defensive play

Last night the Colorado Avalanche visited the Edmonton Oilers for an incredible high-flying game that was nearly the best game of the season if not for a heartbreaking loss at the last second. With less than one second left, Nathan MacKinnon found Arturri Lehkonen open in front of the net for the game winner. Draisaitl was visibly gassed getting back and left Lehkonen open, and after the game he took responsibility for his mistake.

In a game with as little margin of error as last night, missed coverage on one play was the deciding factor with 0.5 seconds left. Draisaitl knows that's unacceptable as a star player and leader of the team, but at least he's experiencing this mistake now - not in the playoffs. Draisaitl clearly let up on his back check, and allowed Lehkonen a path to the net.




It's good to see Draisaitl take accountability for the poor coverage, but still incredibly disappointing it happened and led to the loss. Hopefully the team will be re-invigorated by this tough loss to a team they could match up against in the playoffs, and look to bounce back in their next game against the Montreal Canadiens.