Edmonton Oilers snap losing skid with a win over the Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim must have felt sure they would end their four-game winless streak when they played host to one of the NHL's worst teams, the Edmonton Oilers, but it was the Oilers who came away with a 4-2
win putting an end to their own six-game losing streak on 21 November.
How it happened
After a scoreless first period, the Edmonton Oilers started the scoring in the second through Sam Gagner who notched his fifth of the season. First-overall draft pick Taylor Hall then extended Edmonton's
lead with his fourth of the year.
The Ducks answered back with two goals scored only 22 seconds apart. Bobby Ryan got the first on the power play with his ninth of the season. Saku Koivu got the second also with his ninth.
Ales Hemsky took a feed on the wing from Dustin Penner as the Oilers entered the zone midway through the third period. Hemsky used his speed to skate by a defender and come in alone on net and lift the
puck past Jonas Hiller in the Ducks goal for the winner.
The Oilers would add an empty netter through Tom Gilbert who collected his third goal of the year.
What they're saying
Devan Dubnyk put in a particularly strong performance in goal for the Edmonton Oilers stopping 38 of 40 shots. Dubnyk, who was getting his second-straight start in relief of the injured
Nikolai Khabibulin, told reporters after the game: "It's exciting for me. You never want to see a guy get injured, and we're all hoping he comes back soon. But that's why you play so hard to be the number two goalie - so that if something does happen, you're
the guy and not the one they call up to be the backup. I worked as hard as I could to get to this spot, and I'm just going to enjoy the chance to play."
"Us getting 40 shots isn't really relevant if you're taking all the shots from the boards or the blue line," Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf said of his team's performance. "We're not doing a good enough job
getting pucks there or getting people there. The effort's there, but we've got to bear down. We've got to learn from those mistakes and go forward."
The Ducks now have no wins in their last five games and have dropped out of the top eight in the conference. They have four days off before they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday 26 November.
The Oilers travel to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes, who have won six in a row, on Tuesday 23 November.
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