Mike Babcock's bizarre bench mix-up could cost him money after Oilers win
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Mike Babcock's timeout confusion during a 5-on-3 gave the Rangers life, but Devon Levi and the Oilers held on for the win.
Mike Babcock handed the Edmonton Oilers a bench moment nobody planned, and for a few minutes the New York Rangers looked like the team that might benefit.
Edmonton still held on for two points, and the coach was laughing about it afterward.
A 2-0 lead gets tight
The Oilers led 2-0 and earned a two-man advantage, a chance to put the game away.
Babcock told Zach Hyman a timeout might be smart, but he wanted to hold it as long as possible.
The shift kept going, Babcock decided against calling one, and Hyman called it himself.
Babcock tried to cancel it, but it was too late to undo.
The extended stint for the top power-play unit was a tactical mistake, and Edmonton paid for it.
Jaroslav Chmelar stepped out of the penalty box onto a breakaway and beat Levi over the glove, cutting the lead to one and turning a comfortable night into a real game.
What the mix-up says about Edmonton
Edmonton never trailed, but it rarely looked in control.
Levi's brilliant night kept the Rangers from completing the comeback, and Babcock called it an important two points, the kind of win that helps a club.
He also owned the mistake. The Oilers run an internal fine system that benefits the Children's Cancer Society, and a player told him this one would cost about $300.
The timing matters. Babcock was hired in June after the Oilers fired Kris Knoblauch, and Edmonton allowed 3.23 goals per game last season, 25th in the NHL.
A coach trying to tighten up that group can't afford game-management slips at 5-on-3, even in a win.
Special teams and late-game details will decide plenty of close games over an 82-game schedule.
For now, this is a small cost with a good laugh attached.
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