Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot‘s night ended early Tuesday after allowing two goals on three shots in just 7:35 of playing time against the St. Louis Blues.
Talbot was beaten by a deflected Vladimir Tarasenko shot 3:13 into the game and a few minutes later Dmitrij Jaskin fired a puck over Talbot’s left shoulder. Talbot went down early on both goals.
The Oilers as a whole have disappointed this season and Talbot’s less than stellar play has been a contributing factor. The 30-year-old went 42-22-8 with a 2.39 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in a career-high 73 games last season, yet prior to Tuesday’s poor performance he had a 7-10-1 record, 3.10 GAA and .903 save percentage.
“My target is .920 to .925. I set my target at .923 this season,” Talbot told reporters Monday when talking about his save percentage. “Maybe I don’t have to steal games, but I have to give us a chance to win. The difference [between] this year and last is my consistency. I’ve had some good games but others I want back and I have to eliminate those ones. … You have to do your job night in and night out, and sometimes, you’re going to come out on the losing end. But you have to find consistency in your own game and the team game will follow.”
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