Roloson stops 51 in big win over Ducks

Dustin Penner beats Jean-Sebastien Giguere for his second goal of the game Friday night in Anaheim. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

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by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

In his franchise-record 30th consecutive start, Dwayne Roloson made 51 saves to backstop the Oilers to a 5-3 win over the Ducks and triple-jump his club back into a playoff spot. Dustin Penner tallied two goals, while Fernando Pisani, Kyle Brodziak, and Ales Kotalik added a marker each.

FIRST PERIOD

The Oilers wasted no time making their mark at Honda Center. Only 1:11 into the game, Shawn Horcoff hit Dustin Penner with a centering pass that the towering forward tapped past Jean-Sebastien Giguere for an early 1-0 lead.

37 seconds later, Fernando Pisani got in on the action. From the top of the face-off circle, Pisani slapped the puck over Giguere's left shoulder to double the visitors' lead.

On the following face-off, Jean-Francois Jacques and George Parros dropped their gloves at center ice. At the tail end of the penalties, the two-goal lead was cut back to one. From behind Dwayne Roloson's net, Corey Perry passed the puck to Ryan Getzlaf at the top of the crease, who wristed it home low glove-side to get his club within one.

Anaheim benefited from the game's first powerplay shortly after the goal, but Edmonton ensured captain Ethan Moreau was able to serve his full two minutes for high-sticking.

Coincidental roughing minors to Ladislav Smid and Todd Marchant opened up the ice near the period's midway point, and the Ducks took advantage by crafting a 9-4 shot lead. That lead increased by six shots thanks to over one minute of five-on-three, but Roloson and his penalty killers held out until the buzzer to keep their 2-1 lead heading into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

With Shawn Horcoff out of the penalty box but Steve Staios still sitting it out, Getzlaf put the Ducks back on even terms only 15 seconds into the middle frame. After Chris Pronger rang his slapshot off the post, Getzlaf redirected the rebound past Roloson's right skate for his second of the game and a 2-2 tie.

But like in the first, the Oilers quickly jumped ahead by two. At 2:40, Penner joined Getzlaf in the two-goal club by wristing Sam Gagner's pass past Giguere for the go-ahead powerplay goal.

Nine seconds later, Kyle Brodziak capitalized on a scrambly Ducks zone by scoring unassisted for a 4-2 Oilers lead. Penner and Brodziak's markers came within one second of tying the Oilers franchise record for fastest two goals, which was set January 20, 1982 by Wayne Gretzky and Glenn Anderson.

Giguere was briefly pulled after allowing two goals on the first two shots of the game, but this time he left the net for good. Jonas Hiller assumed his spot between the pipes.

As the period progressed, rough-housing behind Roloson's net ushered in a slew of Oilers penalties for the fourth, fifth, and sixth Ducks powerplays. But although the home team posted a commanding 30-17 shot lead following the man-advantages, Roloson kept his lamp unlit through to the end of the second.

THIRD PERIOD

Edmonton was unable to increase their lead on their fourth powerplay early in the third, and Anaheim answered with their third goal shortly thereafter. With the puck on his stick, Perry patiently drew from one side of the net to the other and fired past Roloson to get his club within one.

The Ducks cracked 40 shots following the goal, and due to a double high-sticking minor to Jacques, the 50-shot mark came and went soon after. But Roloson showed no weakness and carried his club's lead to the end.

An empty-netter for Ales Kotalik sealed the 5-3 win.