Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers 3-4 OT (1-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-1)
The Oilers made one change from the winning lineup of the Blues game, forward Ryan O'Marra was scratched for Patrick O'Sullivan, who took O'Marra's spot on the 4th line. "We feel Gagner played such a good game against the Blues that he deserved a chance to defend his place" said head coach Kevin Constantine of the decision to keep Gagner on the top line. The Stars came into the game with a 6-1-1 record, the Oilers were 4-3-0.
After a slow start to the game, Nolan Yonkman's giveaway gave Brendan Morrow the chance to put the Oilers behind from the start for the 8th straight time this season, an opportunity Morrow took well. Outside of that goal, there were few entertaining moments.
Having killed off an early penalty in which the Stars were denied a shot on goal, the Oilers levelled the score at 1-1. Sam Gagner proved worthy of the trust put in him and sent linemate Hemsky away to the races against Turco, where Hemsky made no mistake. The Oilers were doing an excellent job at keeping the shots to the outside, forcing the Stars to challenge Khabibulin from poor angles - but as the Oilers built up momentum on a solid, yet goalless, power play they left their back door open for a prowler. Mike Ribeiro came streaking out of the box to score the 2-1 late in the 2nd, much to the Oilers' frustration.
Lubomir Visnovsky ironed out the second period error and blasted home a beauty just a minute into the third to bring balance back in the score. It did not last long, however, as de Vries found Morrow near the crease with a brilliant pass, one which Morrow had little trouble smashing home for the lead. The Oilers kept wearing down their opponents and got rewarded when Moore's big hit allowed Axelsson to pick up the puck behind Turco's net, wheel in front and slot the equaliser in for Edmonton. Jubilant fans had seen their team level the score three times during the game! The game went to overtime, despite a few good chances to win for both teams in the two minutes that remained after Axelsson's game tying marker.
Brendan Morrow, regulation hero with two goals, took an early penalty, but the Oilers were unable to capitalize. The home fans, however, were stunned to see the Oilers continue to dominate the Stars with slick passing, prompting the crowd to scream for a shot. Edmonton remained eerily cool, though, until Gagner found an open Dustin Penner who blasted the puck behind Turco for the win!
Post game: GM Kowalski was reportedly thrilled with his team's performance against the Stars, and his sentiments were echoed by Constantine: "We played good hockey against one of the top teams in the NHL, credit to the players for coming back three times and then winning it". The top three lines seemed to click well, with the 1st line producing 3 goals, one of which was netted by Visnovsky. Pundits were impressed with the composure of the Oilers, playing like they were well aware that the Stars would eventually have to yield to their offensive prowess.
Scoreboard
1st Period:
DAL - Morrow (-)
2nd Period:
EDM - Hemsky (Gagner, Grebeshkov)
DAL - Ribeiro (Sutherby)
3rd Period:
EDM - Visnovsky (Penner)
DAL - Morrow (de Vries, Richards)
EDM - Axelsson (Moore)
OT
EDM - Penner (Gagner, Gilbert)
Injuries/Misconducts/Etc.
-
Lines:
Penner - Gagner - Hemsky
Cogliano - Laich - Brule
Axelsson - Stone - Moore
Moreau - Falardeau - O'Sullivan
Babchuk - Visnovsky
Lashoff - Gilbert
Grebeshkov - Yonkman
Khabibulin
(Hiller)
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