Detroit Red Wings overcome Edmonton Oilers 5-3
Todd Bertuzzi scored a pair of goals, including the go-ahead score late in the third period, as the Detroit Red Wings managed a 5-3 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on Tuesday night.
Darren Helm had a goal and one assist, while Kris Draper and Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal each for Detroit, who broke a two-game losing skid. Chris Osgood turned aside 22 of 25 shots in the victory.
"It's not fun when you go 15 games without a goal, but you just keep battling and try to be better in different areas and keep working it," said Bertuzzi after the game.
Gilbert Brule, Theo Peckham and Sam Gagner added goals for Edmonton, who has lost a season-high seven consecutive play-offs. Nikolai Khabibulin saved 32 of 37 shots in the loss.
Oilers coach Tom Renney said after the game, "When a team like Detroit comes in here, it's tough. I'd rather have a tough night when we're going after it and stepping on the accelerator than playing with trepidation - we can't do that."
Detroit got a good start with Zetterberg's 15th goal of the season on a power-play in the fourth minute of the opening period. Zetterberg's one-timer from between the circles, found its way in the net through a pile of bodies in front of the goalie
to give Detroit a 1-0 lead. Brule tied the game at 1-1for the home team with over eight minutes remaining in the first period, as he got a one-time pass from Liam Reddox, and lifted the puck over Osgood’s glove with a backhand shovel shot.
Detroit took the lead again at 2-1 in the seventh minute of the second period. Bertuzzi got the loose puck in front of the net, and hooked it past the goalie with a slick twisted backhander from the left post. Draper then doubled Detroit's lead at 3-1 with
over nine minutes to play in the second period. He got a lead pass from Helm and beat the diving Khabibulin on a backhand for his third goal.
On a delayed Red Wings penalty, Edmonton cut the deficit to 3-2, five minutes into the third period. Gagner controlled the puck behind Detroit’s net and passed it in front, where Peckham easily swept the puck past goalie.
Gagner then equalised the game for Edmonton in the 12th minute of the final period, as he battled to control the puck, and managed to slip a shot between Osgood's pads for a 3-3 deadlock. The Red Wings then took a 4-3 lead with less than three
minutes remaining in the third period. Bertuzzi slung the puck from the left side near the goal line, where it banked in off Edmonton defenceman Ladislav Smid’s skate and veered into the net.
Detroit regained a two-goal advantage after just 44 seconds to seal the win. Helm carried the puck into the Edmonton zone, swooped down the left wing, moved around a fallen Oilers defender and scored with a rising wrist shot.
“It was more interesting than it should have been,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “We didn’t start the third period as well as we wanted to and we didn’t get through the neutral zone as good. Then they got a chintzy one to tie the game. But I thought
we responded very well from there, scoring the two goals. We’re getting contributions from everybody right now and we need it when we are short-staffed.”
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