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Oilers 5, CANUCKS 4 (OT)
Overtime salvation for Edmonton
VANCOUVER (CP) -- The Edmonton Oilers' overtime curse has finally been lifted.
Ethan Moreau scored the winner with a minute left in overtime as the Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 Tuesday night, Edmonton's first extra-period victory in 21 tries this season.
The Oilers had been 0-7-13 in overtime games, including a 3-2 loss to Nashville on Monday night. Seven of Edmonton's last 10 games have gone into the extra period.
On the winning goal, Tom Poti sent a crisp pass from the far corner to Moreau, who redirected the puck past goalie Garth Snow for his 11th of the season.
"It was great," Moreau said. "It's only two points, but it felt like a playoff series or something. It's a good feeling. We haven't been able to celebrate yet like that this year."
Pat Falloon had tied the game for the Oilers with 1:20 left in regulation when he took a pass from Doug Weight and one-timed it past Snow.
"This is huge for us," Falloon said. "We've been cursed all season and to get that first win in overtime, it really helps us."
Weight, Roman Hamrlik and Jim Dowd also scored for the Oilers.
Matt Cooke, with his first NHL goal, Adrian Aucoin, Markus Naslund and Darby Hendrickson scored for Vancouver.
Edmonton starting goalie Bill Ranford was replaced by Tommy Salo late in the third period after giving up three goals on seven shots. Salo stopped 17 shots the rest of the way.
Snow finished with 19 saves as his record dropped to 5-10-2.
"We definitely wanted the two points but fell short in the end," Snow said.
The teams combined for seven goals in the first period, including three on the power play.
"You don't see that too often in this day in age of hockey," Falloon said. "I'm sure with the Oilers in the mid-'80s that happened a lot. You look at a 4-3 after the first, you think it's more of a final than a first-period summary. But that's the way it went and we were able to hang in there and get a win."
The Canucks are winless in their last eight home games and haven't won at GM Place since Dec. 22.
Aucoin opened the scoring on a first-period power play, beating Ranford with a long slapshot that deflected off the goalie's arm and into the net.
The Oilers tied it up when Hamrlik fired a wrist shot through Snow's legs on a power play.
Naslund restored Vancouver's lead 13 seconds later on Vancouver's third shot on goal, putting a backhander past Ranford.
Weight tied the game 2-2 before Dowd gave Edmonton its first lead by scoring on a breakaway.
After Cooke tied the game for the Canucks, Ranford was pulled in favour of Salo.
Notes: The Canucks have just one win in their last nine games and just three victories in their past 21 contests. ... After playing eight consecutive home games between Jan. 5 and 24, the Oilers now play 10 of their next 11 on the road.
Summary
-------------------------------
Edmonton 3 0 1 1--5
Vancouver 4 0 0 0--4
-------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Vancouver, Aucoin 9 (power play) (P
Schaefer), 3:20. 2, Edmonton, Hamrlik 4 (power play) (Marchant, Niinimaa),
4:52. 3, Vancouver, M Naslund 15 (Messier), 5:05. 4, Edmonton, Weight 10
(power play) (Hamrlik, Guerin), 10:12. 5, Edmonton, Dowd 4 (B Devereaux,
Niinimaa), 11:21. 6, Vancouver, Cooke 1 (Chubarov, Aucoin), 15:57. 7,
Vancouver, Hendrickson 2 (Klatt, M Naslund), 18:18. Penalties: Laraque,
Edm (fighting major), 0:03; Brashear, Van (fighting major), 0:03; Weight,
Edm (slashing), 2:05; May, Van (unsportsmanlike conduct), 4:45; M Naslund,
Van (holding), 9:02; Ohlund, Van (elbowing), 12:44; Baron, Van (slashing),
13:31.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Hendrickson, Van (charging),
3:10; Moreau, Edm (tripping), 5:43; Guerin, Edm (holding), 8:51; Snow, Van
served by T Bertuzzi (interference), 10:21; M Naslund, Van (Obstr
holding), 13:45; R Smyth, Edm (goalie interference), 15:00; Hendrickson,
Van (roughing), 16:59.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 8, Edmonton, Falloon 4 (Weight, Hamrlik),
18:40.
OVERTIME -- Scoring: 9, Edmonton, Moreau 11 (Poti, Hamrlik), 4:00.
Shots on goal:
------------------------------------
Edmonton 11 6 5 1--23
Vancouver 11 8 5 1--25
------------------------------------
Power-play Conversions: Edm - 2 of 8, Van - 1 of 4. Goalies: Edmonton,
Ranford (7 shots, 4 saves), Salo (15:57 of 1st period, 18, 17; record:
14-15-10). Vancouver, Snow (23, 18; record: 5-10-2). A:13,133. Referee:
Koharski. Linesmen: Lazarowich, Sartison.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS
Edmonton Vancouver
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
B Devereaux 0 1 even 2 Aucoin 1 1 even 6
Beranek 0 0 -2 0 Baron 0 0 even 1
Dowd 1 0 even 2 Brashear 0 0 even 0
Falloon 1 0 +1 1 Cassels 0 0 -2 1
Grier 0 0 even 2 Chubarov 0 1 even 0
Guerin 0 1 +1 2 Cooke 1 0 +1 2
Hamrlik 1 3 +2 4 Hawgood 0 0 +1 0
J Smith 0 0 -1 0 Hendrickson 1 0 even 1
Kilger 0 0 -2 0 Jovanovski 0 0 -1 0
Laraque 0 0 even 0 Klatt 0 1 +2 4
Marchant 0 1 even 1 M Naslund 1 1 +2 4
Moreau 1 0 +1 1 May 0 0 even 0
Niinimaa 0 2 -1 1 Messier 0 1 +1 4
Poti 0 1 +2 2 Ohlund 0 0 even 0
R Smyth 0 0 -2 1 P Schaefer 0 1 even 0
Robertsson 0 0 -1 1 Strudwick 0 0 even 0
S Brown 0 0 -1 0 T Bertuzzi 0 0 -1 1
Weight 1 1 +2 3 V Sharifijanov 0 0 -2 1
Musil Neck Injury Potvin Knee Injury
Re Murray Healthy Vaic Shoulder
Laflamme Healthy Mogilny Groin
Selivanov Healthy Kariya Healthy
York Healthy
Joseph Healthy
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