Ryan Potulny tallied the eventual game-winning
goal and an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers used four power-play goals to post
a 5-3 win over the Avalanche and hand Colorado its first home loss of the
season.
Dustin Penner and Tom Gilbert also had a goal and an assist apiece for the
Oilers, who had lost three straight and six of seven after starting 6-2-1.
Andrew Cogliano and Mike Comrie also scored, while Nikolai Khabibulin made 34
saves in the win.
"We were working it around good (on the power play)," Potulny said. "That was
the key: just to get the puck and move it quick. You can't hold it -- once you
hold it, someone is going to jump on you."
Edmonton was very efficient with the man advantage, converting on 4-of-7
chances in the contest. Conversely, the Avs went 0-for-4.
David Jones, Marek Svatos and T.J. Hensick each scored for Colorado, which
squandered an opportunity to set the franchise mark for most consecutive wins
at home to start a season. The Avs had been 6-0-0 prior to Sunday's loss,
which matched the 2007-08 Avalanche and the 1994-95 Nordiques.
"After playing in their building and playing so well, I think maybe we thought
it'd be a little bit easier tonight," Jones said. "But they came out hard, and
we took some undisciplined penalties, and it came back to haunt us."
Craig Anderson, who shut out the Oilers earlier in the season, allowed five
goals on 32 shots in defeat.
Comrie put the Oilers on the board with a backhand power-play goal 4:47 into
the game, but Colorado tied the contest soon thereafter.
Kyle Quincey fired a shot from the point that Khabibulin initially stopped.
The
puck popped out in front, and Svatos was there to poke it in at the 8:00 mark.
Edmonton had another power play after Colorado's Ryan Wilson received a delay
of game penalty, and Gilbert cashed in with his first goal of the season at
14:48 for a 2-1 Oilers lead.
With 57.8 seconds left, and Edmonton on its third power play of the period,
Penner tallied his 10th goal of the season on a one-timer from the right
circle, and the Oilers led 3-1 after the opening frame.
Colorado got one back in the second on Hensick's tip-in at 4:56 off a Brett
Clark laser from the point that made its way through traffic.
Early in the third, Edmonton restored its two-goal advantage with its fourth
power-play goal of the contest. Similarly to Penner's goal, Potulny took a
feed from Denis Grebeshkov in the right circle and one-timed it past
Anderson at 4:44 for a 4-2 lead.
Less than three minutes later, Jones brought the Avs back within one, as
Khabibulin got pulled out of the net trying to play the puck. The disc was
tipped back to Jones, who backhanded it into the wide-open net.
Cogliano grabbed a loose rebound in front and stuffed it home with 3:20 left
in the game to give the Oilers a two-goal lead, and they held on from there.
Game Notes
Edmonton has 13 goals in its last two trips to Denver...Colorado was the last
remaining team with an unblemished home record...The Oilers had been shut out
in three of their last seven games...Edmonton began a five-game road trip
Sunday.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
