Russell's mistake costs Oilers in loss to Maple Leafs

EDMONTON -- Kris Russell's night was ruined when the Edmonton Oilers defenseman shot the puck into his own net with 1:05 remaining in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

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It was the game-winning goal, credited to forward Patrick Marleau, the last Maple Leafs player to touch the puck, and helped Toronto to a 6-4 victory at Rogers Place.
It came after Russell had scored to tie the game 4-4 earlier in the period.
Under pressure in the Edmonton zone, Russell was trying to clear away a bouncing puck from the slot but smacked it through the pads of Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit.
"It was a bounce, I turned to try and battle it out and obviously you know what happened," Russell said after the Oilers had rallied from trailing 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3. "I thought we came back and played well but I'm pretty frustrated with the way it ended.
"I thought we were sluggish to start with and I thought the guys really picked it up in the second and third and controlled the play."

Oilers coach Todd McLellan said there was nothing but support for Russell after such an unusual loss.
"You didn't have to be on our bench or be a teammate or a fan to feel for him," McLellan said. "He had a great night. There was never any intent, obviously, to do it. A not-so-good thing happened to a great player tonight."
Russell was plus-3 in the game when the play happened. He tied it 4-4 with a one-timer at 3:01 of the third, finished with a goal, an assist, four blocked shots, four hits and four shots, and was plus-2 in 24:20.
Edmonton captain Connor McDavid was quick to defend Russell.
"He's a guy you would go to war for," McDavid said. "He does everything for us. He throws himself in shooting lanes where most people would be diving to get out of the way. He puts himself in harm's way. He battles so hard each and every night. He was great tonight, offensively, defensively. He was solid."
McDavid said he was sure Russell wouldn't lose any sleep over the own goal.
"He's a veteran guy who has been around a long time," McDavid said. "It's unfortunate and you never want to see that happen to anyone, but that's the way that hockey goes. It is a game of quick plays and a game of read and reacting. There's nothing more you can say about it. You can't hold it against him. He was great all night."
Brossoit, who started in place of Cam Talbot (upper-body injury) and made 30 saves, said he appreciates all that Russell brings to the Oilers.
"He does so many good things for us, you can't fault a guy for making a mistake like that," Brossoit said. "We all make mistakes throughout the game.
"I didn't see [the puck] on a Toronto stick, but at the same time I could have been a little sharper, could have been a bit more ready, especially with a minute left. I could have been more intense to make sure we closed it out and got it to overtime."