Oilers withstand feisty Blackhawks in SO
Last Updated: Sunday, November 25, 2007 | 1:58 AM ET
CBC Sports
It took a night of honouring Canada's military troops to help the Edmonton Oilers rebound from a tough homestand.
Shawn Horcoff and rookie Sam Gagner both scored in the shootout to lift the Oilers to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night at Rexall Place.
Chicago winger David Koci, left, and Oilers forward Zackery Stortini drop the gloves during the first period of Saturday night's game at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
(John Ulan/Canadian Press)
Gagner scored the first goal before Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson stopped Chicago sniper Patrick Kane and Blackhawks netminder Nikolai Khabibulin denied Ales Hemsky with a poke check.
After Chicago centre Yanic Perreault blasted his shot wide, Horcoff ended the game as he snapped a shot between the legs of Khabibulin.
Edmonton (9-13-1) is 4-8-0 on home ice this season after winning for only the second time during the first five contests of its season-high six-game homestand.
Both goaltenders played outstanding for their respective teams. Roloson finished with 38 saves, including eight in the overtime period, while Khabibulin stopped 29 Edmonton shots.
Despite their recent struggles, the win improves the Oilers' record in shootouts to 6-1.
"We've been very fortunate in shootouts this year," Horcoff told CBC Sports. "It's something that in the past hasn't really been our strong suit. [It's] given us valuable points and we'll take those [because] they all add up at the end of the year."
The Blackhawks (12-8-1), meanwhile, failed to win their third consecutive game away from home.
Prior to the game, Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay and Gen. Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff, joined two local soldiers in the ceremonial puck drop.
Capt. Dan Hone brought the puck from Kandahar, Afghanistan where the troops played several pickup hockey games with it.
In an event dubbed "Tickets for the Troops," more than 5,000 tickets for Saturday night's game were donated to the Edmonton Garrison Military Family Resource Centre.
"It was an unbelievable atmosphere and it was really easy to get up for a game like this," Horcoff said of the troops in attendance.
"I just think the support that the city and the fans have shown for the troops by giving them the tickets was outstanding. It went to a good effort and we're happy we could come out with a win for them."
The Oilers, who are tied with the Los Angeles Kings for the fewest points (19) in the Western Conference, fell behind 1-0 just 43 seconds into the second period after defenceman James Vandermeer fired a point shot by Roloson.
A quick transition by the Oilers tied the game less than 12 minutes later. Defenceman Denis Grebeshkov forced Khabibulin out of position and slid a pass in the crease to Hemsky, who buried the puck into the open net.
Edmonton then grabbed a 2-1 advantage following a dump in by defenceman Tom Gilbert at 6:02 of the third. Centre Marty Reasoner took a pass from Kyle Brodziak and one-timed a shot under the left arm of Khabibulin.
The Blackhawks replied with the tying goal more than five minutes later. With Chicago applying heavy pressure in Edmonton's end, Duncan Keith drove a low shot through a crowd and by a screened Roloson.
Edmonton had to hold off the Blackhawks late in the third period and the early part of overtime because Hemsky was serving a two-minute penalty for holding defenceman James Wisniewski's stick.
Oilers defenceman Dick Tarnstrom left during the early stages of the game with a mild concussion after getting hit along the boards by Chicago rearguard Dustin Byfuglien.
