Oilers lose to Canucks 7-3

Vancouver's Tanner Glass and Edmonton's Shawn Horcoff collide at GM Place Saturday night. The Canucks won the game 7-3. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

---

PRE-GAME

Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Game Program Video interviews Audio Interviews

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Watch tonight's post-game video highlights. Oilers post-game interviews with Brule, Deslauriers, Dubnyk, McDonald, Penner, Moreau and head coach Pat Quinn Canucks post-game reaction from Henrik Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler, Tanner Glass and head coach Alain Vigneault.

AUDIO

Pat Quinn Devan Dubnyk Jeff Deslauriers Ethan Moreau Colin McDonald Dustin Penner Gilbert Brule Audio Highlights at Vancouver.

THREE STARS

Ryan Kesler, VAN Mason Raymond, VAN Christian Ehrhoff, VAN

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers fall to 10-13-4 and slip to 13th in the Western Conference with 24 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton heads back out on the road mid-week for the start of a five-game stretch that starts Thursday, Dec. 3 in Detroit. The game starts at at 5:00pm MST and will be broadcast on CityTV.

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

The Oilers fell into a deep hole in the first 10 minutes of the game, surrendering four goals and prompting a goaltending change. Although the club held their own through the following 50, they couldn't climb out and dropped a 7-3 decision in Vancouver Saturday night.

Gilbert Brule, Colin McDonald, and Dustin Penner scored for the Oilers, while Devan Dubnyk stopped 21 of 24 shots after entering the game in relief of Jeff Deslauriers. Although the end result was disappointing, Dubnyk and McDonald shared career firsts: first NHL game for Dubnyk and first NHL goal and point for McDonald.

FIRST PERIOD

Less than two minutes into the Saturday night contest, a holding minor to Dustin Penner put the Oilers at the disadvantage and the Canucks capitalized. Although goalie Jeff Deslauriers stopped the first three powerplay attempts, a slapper from Christian Ehrhoff tucked under the crossbar to make it 1-0 Vancouver.

At the five-minute mark, Jason Strudwick and Darcy Hordichuk went one-on-one inside the Oilers blueline. Strudwick drilled Hordichuk with a trio of jabs, but the Canuck responded with two big rights, throwing his opponent off balance and to the ice.

With both players serving fighting majors, the Canucks added a second goal. On Deslauriers' doorstep, Alex Burrows wristed the puck into the net to double Vancouver's lead.

Deslauriers showed some frustration following the goal and was assessed a roughing minor for his action vs. Canucks winger Tanner Glass. A minute into Vancouver's second powerplay, Mason Raymond made it a perfect 2-for-2 by beating the penalized goalie with a far wrist-shot.

Unfortunately for the Deslauriers, the relentless 'Nucks kept coming, this time led by Daniel Sedin. By getting in on the scoring action, Sedin set the score 4-0 and prompted Oilers Head Coach Pat Quinn to pull Deslauriers and give Devan Dubnyk his first NHL appearance. Deslauriers had stopped seven of 11 attempts; the Oilers, meanwhile, had only managed one on Roberto Luongo.

With five minutes left in the frame, the Oilers finally got a break when Canuck Ryan Johnson took a tripping minor. Although Luongo's post kept Edmonton's first powerplay shot off the clock, Gilbert Brule was on hand to force home the rebound, putting the Oilers back within three.

But in the last minute, the Canucks got that one back. From a sharp angle, Glass lifted the puck over Dubnyk and under the crossbar to renew his club's four-goal lead. After 20 minutes, the shots read 16-4 in favour of Vancouver.

SECOND PERIOD

The Oilers started strong in the middle frame, posting four shots at one end of the ice and three big saves at the other. Joining Dubnyk in the 'NHL Firsts' category, recent call-up Colin McDonald sniped Luongo to register his first NHL goal and put the Oilers back within three.

1:04 later, Penner cut that to two. With help from Brule and Gagner, the power forward fooled Luongo with a snapper to get the Oilers within striking distance at the game's midway point.

As the period progressed, Edmonton's penalty killers were sent back into the line of fire when Brule was called for interference. It didn't take long for Vancouver's powerplay proved deadly for the third time as Alex Edler guided a slapshot through traffic and over Dubnyk's right shoulder to set the score 6-3.

A shoving match behind Dubnyk's net late in the frame resulted in a trio of penalties, but the Oilers came out on top and would start the third period with 1:32 of powerplay.

THIRD PERIOD

The Oilers and Canucks matched eachother shot-for-shot in the first half of the final frame, but at 9:59, a slashing minor to Shawn Horcoff gave the Canucks the edge they needed to light the lamp a seventh time. Mikael Samuelsson's powerplay goal was his club's fourth of the game and secured a four-goal lead.

The lead Vancouver built in the game's first eight minutes would last through 60, and the Oilers returned to Edmonton with a 7-3 loss.