Oilers live to fight another day!

Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks 3-2 OT (2-1, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)

Edmonton had it all to do in game 5, having been severely beaten, beaten and then gutted in three games after their initial win in game 1. Experts were already summarizing the series and looking at what had eliminated Edmonton, blaming inexperience, goaltending and lack of toughness for the loss. The Oilers were still mustering their forces, however, and were allowed one last chance to gain another last chance to gain yet another last chance to go on. Nikolai Khabibulin was yet again named the starting netminder, despite his massive blunder in game 4.

GM Kowalski held a passionate speech on defiance and never-say-die attitudes among the players in the pre-game press conference. Some reporters were tempted to draw comparisons to the American response to the besieging Germans in WWII's battle of Bastogne - in which the U.S. commander replied to the Germans' demands of surrender merely with "Nuts". As history goes, the Americans fought off the Germans, but the Oilers did not start off in the best way. Instead the Canucks were able to score yet another short handed goal, this time from a point shot after an icing call. Impressively, the Oilers kept their spirits up and got the equaliser three minutes before the intermission as Hemsky tallied his fourth goal of the post-season. Apparently, the hockey gods were willing, and answered a million prayers from across the Rocky Mountains and allowed Hemsky to add his second of the night and fifth of the playoffs just before the break!

Edmonton kept their opponents off in the opening minutes of the second despite taking a few penalties, but the Canucks were positioning themselves for an attack. Regular season Oilers-killer Christian Erhoff fired a shot that beat Khabibulin over his glove at 37:49. Neither team produced additional chances before the second intermission.

The Oilers were still in it, but still playing dangerously close to the brink. Nevertheless, the Oilers seemed to enjoy being on the line, working up a sizeable shot lead, their problem being that Luongo was equally fond of being under fire and held his team in it brilliantly. Neither Tangradi nor Hemsky nor Penner were able to beat Lou in spite of having superb chances to do so and thus the game went to overtime.

Nikolai Khabibulin started the first overtime period by making the save of the season, diving across the crease to stop Samuelsson's bid at the back door. Twice more he made qualified saves on a Canucks power play, winning back some disbelieving fans from the overtime horror that played out two nights ago. An epic struggle of special teams ensued, but steadfast goaltending and bright penalty killing propelled the game into a second overtime period.

The game took the shape of a Rocky Balboa movie in the second overtime period - the bigger Canucks kept beating at Edmonton, but could not finish them. Even a full five minute clipping major by Babchuk was eaten by the penalty killers, who suddenly looked like stars opposed to the crumbling units it had presented earlier in the series. Still, the Canucks had closed the gap on the shot chart, which favoured the Oil by 20 shots in the third. Then, two minutes from the necessity of a third overtime period, Dustin Penner appeared - a deus ex machina - and deflected home a relatively poor Gagner wristshot and underlined the whimsical nature of close games.

Post game: "I don't know what to say" general manager Kowalski said jokingly, though there was a sense of thruth in it as well. Edmonton's heartbreaker in game 4 had turned into a reversal of fortune in game 5. Pundits raved about Ales Hemsky's playoff contribution after the game - the Czech star having been all over to drive his team forward. "There is more to be done, but we can be proud of this game as we could of the last one. The difference was small between the two, but we seek to make it bigger in game 6" stated Kowalski before leaving the press conference.


Scoreboard
1st Period:
VAN - Kesler (Samuelsson) SH
EDM - Hemsky (Gagner) PP
EDM - Hemsky (Penner)

2nd Period:
VAN - Erhoff (White, Kesler) PP

3rd Period:
-

Overtime (1st)
-

Overtime (2nd)
EDM - Penner (Gagner, Hemsky)


Injuries/Misconducts/Etc.
-

Lines:
Penner - Gagner - Hemsky
Tangradi - Laich - O'Sullivan
Axelsson - Cogliano - Moore
Moreau - Falardeau - Brule

Babchuk - Visnovsky
Smid - Gilbert
Chorney - Yonkman

Khabibulin
(Hiller)