Oilers top Lightning 5-3

Tampa's David Koci and Edmonton's Steve MacIntyre duke it out in the first period Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at Rexall Place. The Oilers won the game 5-3. (Photo by Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

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GAME CENTRE

Pre-Game Info Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Video interviews Audio Interviews In-Game Media 1st Intermission - Jason Strudwick 2nd Intermission - Tom Gilbert Photo Gallery Click here for the photo gallery Post-Game Video Watch tonight's video highlights Post-game comments from Andrew Cogliano, Jason Strudwick, Theo Peckham, Erik Cole & Craig MacTavish Post-game comments from Stamkos, Murphy, Ramo & head coach Rick Tocchet Post-Game Podcast Jason Strudwick Theo Peckham   Erik Cole Andrew Cogliano Craig MacTavish Three Stars Andrew Cogliano, EDM - Game-winning goal + assist Sheldon Souray, EDM - Two goals + seven shots Cory Murphy, TBL - Two goals Update With the win, Edmonton improves to 30-25-5 and moves into a four-way tie for seventh spot in the Western Conference. What's Next Edmonton continues their four-game homestand Thursday, February 26 vs. Columbus. Game time is 7:00pm MST.

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

By tallying 45 shots and five goals, the Edmonton Oilers posted their second-best shot total of the season and snapped a three-game losing skid by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 Tuesday night. Sheldon Souray scored two goals, Andrew Cogliano earned the game-winner and an assist, and Dwayne Roloson stopped 26 shots for his 21st win of the year.

FIRST PERIOD

The Oilers wasted no time taking advantage of home-ice advantage. Only 2:20 into the game, Erik Cole swept up the right wing and snapped the puck under Karri Ramo's blocker to give the Oil a 1-0 lead on the game's first shot. WATCH GOAL

27 seconds later, Steve MacIntyre stole the spotlight by taking on David Koci near center ice. MacIntyre used his sizeable reach to land the majority of his punches, drawing praise from the crowd as he skated to the penalty box to serve his fighting major.

Three minutes after that, Jason Strudwick got in on the action. With a mass of players swarming around the slot, the Oilers blueliner slapped the puck through traffic and into the bottom left corner of the net to put the home team up two goals on two shots. WATCH GOAL

Two Lightning infractions -- including a period-ending tripping minor to Vaclav Prospal -- helped the Oilers carry their 2-0 lead and 11-3 shot advantage into the second period.

630 CHED's Dan Tencer talks to Jason Strudwick after the first period

SECOND PERIOD

Edmonton was unable to beat Ramo on either of their man-advantages, but Tampa Bay refused to suffer the same fate. With Robert Nilsson serving a goalie inteference penalty, Dwayne Roloson was drawn out of his crease and Cory Murphy capitalized by firing the puck into the open net to cut the Oilers lead in half. WATCH GOAL

An additional powerplay for each team kept special teams on the ice in the first half of the second, and by the midway point of the game, the Oilers led the shot count 19-8.

Unfortunately for the home team, the next three shots -- and the next goal -- belonged to the visitors. With 7:37 left on the clock, Ryan Malone snagged the puck and fed it to Steve Stamkos, who broke in on Roloson and beat the goalie with a dead-on snapshot to tie the game at two. WATCH GOAL

But less than one minute later, Sheldon Souray renewed the Oilers lead. Following an offensive-zone face-off, Andrew Cogliano got the puck to the point, where Souray promptly slapped it into the net to put the Oilers up 3-2. WATCH GOAL

A pair of big saves from Roloson and a late hooking minor to Marek Malik helped the Oilers hit the 25-shot mark and carry their one-goal lead and one-man advantage into the final frame.

Tencer interviews Sheldon Souray in the second intermission

THIRD PERIOD

Although Oilers were unable to connect on that fourth powerplay, Cogliano got the job done shortly thereafter. While Ramo was sprawled on the ice struggling to smother the puck, the eagle-eyed Oilers forward spotted the disc, reigned it in, and tapped it across the line to make it 4-2. WATCH GOAL

A shoving match near Roloson's net netted coincidental roughing minors to Souray and Koci with 12 minutes left in regulation, and the opened-up ice helped the Oilers attain 38 shots vs the Bolts' 24.

Edmonton hit 40 shots with six minutes left, but the next goal would belong to Tampa Bay. At 13:46, Murphy beat Roloson for the second time to get his club back within one.  WATCH GOAL

The Lightning pulled Ramo for the final two minutes, and though the six visiting skaters came close to tallying an equalizer, an empty-netter by Souray with less than two seconds left in the game secured a 5-3 win for the Oilers Tuesday night.