Oilers weather Hurricanes, end skid with 4-2 win

Edmonton's Shawn Horcoff approaches Carolina's Cam Ward during the game between both clubs February 1, 2010 at Rexall Place. The Oilers went on to win 4-2. (Photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

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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 the highlights Patrick O'Sullivan, Ethan Moreau, Alex Plante, Jeff Deslauriers, Marc Pouliot & Pat Quinn on the win The Other Side: Eric Staal & Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice Quinn on Sheldon Souray surgery

AUDIO

Audio Highlights Patrick O'Sullivan Ethan Moreau Alex Plante Marc Pouliot Jeff Deslauriers Pat Quinn

THREE STARS

Mike Comrie, EDM - 1 assist + 6 shots Jason Strudwick, EDM - finished +2 JF Jacques, EDM - 1 goal + 1 assist

UPDATE

With the win, the Oilers snap a 13-game losing streak and improve to 17-31-6.

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton wraps their quick two-game homestand Wednesday, February 3 vs. Philadelphia. The game starts at 7:30pm and will be broadcast on TSN.

Despite surrendering the first goal of the game and 15 shots in the final period, the Oilers weathered the Hurricanes and earned a 4-2 win Monday night. The victory ended a 13-game losing streak for the Oilers and marked the club's first win of 2010.

Jean-Francois Jacques and Marc Pouliot posted a goal and assist each, Gilbert Brule and Sam Gagner added a marker each, and Jeff Deslauriers finished with 33 saves for his tenth win of the season. In his NHL debut, defenceman Alex Plante got an assist on Jacques' goal for his first career NHL point.

FIRST PERIOD

An early delay of game penalty to Joni Pitkanen gave the Oilers the game's first powerplay, but Dustin Penner negated it only 51 seconds later by taking a hooking minor. On the following four-on-four face off, Brandon Sutter got the puck to Andrew Alberts, who surprised Deslauriers with a quick release to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.

The Oilers held a slim shot lead following the goal, and exactly eight minutes in, the extra attempts paid off. After receiving a feed from Pouliot behind the net, Jacques slipped the puck past Cam Ward, tying the game at one. With the secondary assist, rookie defenceman Plante earned his first NHL point in his first career NHL game.

Exactly seven minutes after that, another group effort gave the Oilers the lead. Andrew Cogliano caught a loose puck, surged up the right wing, and chipped it over to Patrick O'Sullivan in the slot. O'Sullivan hit Brule on the opposite wing, who capped the pretty play by wiring it over Ward.

Edmonton held its one-goal, three-shot lead to the first intermission.

SECOND PERIOD

The Oilers and Hurricanes traded powerplays through the first half of the middle frame, but it wasn't until Mike Comrie was assessed two minutes for interference that a lamp was lit. 22 seconds into Carolina's third powerplay of the game, Jussi Jokinen tied the game at two by flipping the puck over Deslauriers.

But the Oilers soon got that one back. Three minutes after Jokinen's marker, Pouliot got the puck and weighed his options behind Ward's net. The forward eventually made the right choice, cutting to the left and deflecting the wraparound off Ward's own equipment to renew Edmonton's lead.

The penalties kept coming, and the Oilers doubled their lead with their first powerplay goal of the night. Although Ward blocked Mike Comrie's shot, Gagner was perfectly poised to redirect the rebound into the open net. The goal set the score 4-2 heading into the final frame.

THIRD PERIOD

The Hurricanes dominated play in the third period and assumed control of the shot clock late in the game, but Deslauriers stood strong to maintain his club's two-goal cushion.

In the final two minutes, Carolina pulled Ward and employed six skaters to hit 35 shots. Although the visitors spent little time outside the home zone, the extra pressure failed to force extra time and Edmonton held on for a 4-2 victory, their first in 13 games and first in 2010.