NHL Update: Hall leads Edmonton Oilers past Atlanta Thrashers, 5-3
Taylor Hall made his first career hat trick with power-play goals, as Edmonton Oilers remained hot with 5-3 victory over Atlanta Thrashers, at Rexall Place on Saturday night.
Ales Hemsky added an empty-netter and assisted twice for Oilers, who have won three straight contests. Magnus Paajarvi had another goal while Devan Dubnyk turned aside 28 shots in the win.
Andrew Ladd and Evander Kane both found the net for Atlanta, which fell to 1-6-1 in February. Dustin Byfuglien also tallied a goal and Chris Mason gave up four goals on 25 shots in the losing effort.
"We gave them life," Atlanta head coach Craig Ramsay said. "Everything was going in our favor and then we take three penalties and give them those power-play chances and get behind."
Byfuglien drew the first blood to give Thrashers a 1-0 lead almost 4 ½ minutes into the opening stanza, as his stoppable shot from the point went in off Dubnyk's glove.
Thrashers did go ahead 2-0 just 59 seconds into the second period. The goal came when Ladd roofed a rebound from in tight for his 21st goal of the season.
Oilers sliced their deficit in half, 2-1, with five minutes remaining in the first period. It happened so when Linus Omark gave a nice pass to a streaking Paajarvi, who ripped a wrist shot from the top of the circle between Mason's legs.
Kane restored Atlanta’s two-goal edge, 3-1, nearly one minute into the final session, as he went around Dustin Penner and netted his 17th goal of the season on a 4-on-4 rush.
However, Edmonton pulled equalizer on Hall's first two power-play goals in a span of 39 seconds.
The first goal came 30 seconds later when he converted a Hemsky’s pass from behind the net to make it 3-2 game.
The tying goal came 10 seconds later when Hall skated out from the side of the net and beat Mason with a shot through his pads.
With seven minutes remaining in the game, Thrashers’ Nik Antropov was credited with a double high-sticking penalty. Hall then completed his hat trick with his 20th goal of the season to stake Oilers to a 4-3 lead, as he
hit a shot from the corner and chipped in his own rebound.
"It's a great feeling anytime a player can get a hat trick and contribute to your team but if we don't get those power plays and play strong as a group in the third, I don't get those goals," Hall said.
Hemsky accounted for the final scoring, 5-3, with an empty-net goal in the last minute.
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