Thunder can’t protect one-goal lead in third period

The Thunder hasn’t won since Dec. 11, and on Wednesday even a moral victory was tarnished.

Wichita held a third-period lead, an accomplishment after being shut out in the last three home games. But Cincinnati tied it, then poured on the misery in a 4-3 win at Intrust Bank Arena.

Cincinnati’s three third-period goals happened in less than four minutes, came at the expense of Thunder turnovers, and were met with an incredulous reaction from Wichita coach Malcolm Cameron.

“I don’t know if it’s guys playing nervous because we’re on a slide, or just guys not being committed,” Cameron said. “I don’t know what it is, but I think our forwards did a pretty good job tonight and (goaltender) Drew Owsley certainly played excellent. It’s a shame that one or two mistakes is costing us right now.”

The Thunder (11-16-0-1) wasn’t on its way to completing a checklist of solved problems on Wednesday, but a win was in sight when Gabriel Gagne scored six minutes into the third period to put the Thunder ahead 2-1.

During an eight-game losing streak, the Thunder has been outscored 42-11, and an unfamiliarity with playing with the lead seemed apparent as Cincinnati easily seized control from a Thunder team that suffered multiple letdowns in a short time period.

“To get off a slide, once you win one game it’s like the weight of the world comes off your shoulders,” Cameron said. “Then everybody starts playing more relaxed.”

Cincinnati (14-13-4-0) took the lead 3-2 on a power-play goal, once again highlighting the Thunder’s special-teams deficiencies. Wichita has one successful power play in its last 55 opportunities and has surrendered 14 power-play goals during that 10-game span.

The Thunder often puts itself at a disadvantage in one facet or more, but it hasn’t been so damaging until the losing streak started with a 6-1 loss at Allen on Dec. 16.

One time this season has the Thunder scored a power-play goal, prevented the opponent from scoring one, taken more shots and scored multiple goals in a win. It happened on Nov. 11 against Tulsa, and appears to be a more unattainable benchmark with each passing game.

Those aren’t the milestones Cameron is looking for, though.

“Scoring more goals than the other team, that’s the only thing that’s important right now,” Cameron said. “This is three one-goal losses where we’ve been right in it and a boneheaded play cost us the game.”

A weekend trip to Tulsa suggested that Wichita could be surfacing from scoring two goals and allowing 28 in the previous five games. The Thunder lost a pair of 5-3 games in Tulsa but scored more goals in those two games than it has in the previous six combined.

Wichita again reached three goals thanks to another Gagne goal that tied the shots 28-28. It gave Wichita hope and created intrigue for the final minute, both of which proved fleeting.

The Thunder created what could have been a turning point by holding Cincinnati scoreless during a 5-on-3 advantage that lasted more than a minute during the second period.

During that penalty kill, Drew Owsley made multiple impressive saves and seemed ready for the challenge of protecting a one-goal lead and helping the Thunder end its losing streak. The next chance comes Friday night at Missouri.

“I think we had good energy on the bench tonight, it’s just some guys trying to do too much,” Cameron said. “While it’s a valiant characteristic to have, sometimes it comes back to bite you in the butt.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2017 at 10:20 PM with the headline "Thunder can’t protect one-goal lead in third period."