Oilers can't contain Blue Jackets, lose 5-3

Edmonton's Marc Pouliot battles Columbus' Fedor Tyutin for the puck Monday, March 15, 2010. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

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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 post-game video highlights. Oilers post-game comments from Aaron Johnson, Taylor Chorney, Devan Dubnyk and head coach Pat Quinn.

AUDIO

Pat Quinn Taylor Chorney Aaron Johnson Devan Dubnyk Audio Highlights

THREE STARS

Kristian Huselius, CBJ Antoine Vermette, CBJ Aaron Johnson, EDM

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers drop to 21-41-7 and remain in 15th spot in the Western Conference with 49 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton flies to Minnesota immediately after the game and concludes its four-game road trip Monday, March 16 vs. the Wild. The game starts at 6:00pm MDT and will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet West.

After surrendering the first goal late in the first period, the Oilers spent the rest of the game nipping at the Blue Jackets' heels. Late scoring chances pulled the team over the 30-shot mark, but an empty-netter from Antoine Vermette quashed the visitors' hopes and capped a 5-3 Columbus victory.

Robert Nilsson, Dustin Penner and Aaron Johnson scored Edmonton's three goals, while goalie Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves for the loss.

FIRST PERIOD

Columbus tallied the first two shots of the game and then added two more during a slashing minor to former Jacket Gilbert Brule, but Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk turned away all four attempts.

Edmonton gave up two more shots before a hooking minor to Samual Pahlsson gave the visitors the advantage and, in keeping with the theme, the edge to register a pair of their own.

At 13:34, scrappers Theo Peckham and Jared Boll decided to spice things up by participating in a punch-up. Boll dominated the first half of the tilt, but Peckham came back with a few lefts before linesmen capped the action. Both players skated away with fighting majors.

One minute after the fight, the Jackets translated that aggression into offense. On a set-up from Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek wired the puck under the crossbar to give Columbus a 1-0 lead.

Following the goal, a trio of penalties enabled a pair of excellent scoring chances at both ends of the ice, but blocked shots in front of Steve Mason's net and two breakaway-busting pad saves by Dubnyk prevented further scoring.

After 20 minutes, the Blue Jackets were up one goal and 10 shots to five.

SECOND PERIOD

Less than two minutes into the middle frame, Robert Nilsson evened it up. From the left face-off circle, the quick forward fooled Mason with a wrister to make it 1-1.

But the tie game wouldn't last long. At 4:30, Chris Clark countered with a successful wrist shot of his own to renew Columbus' lead.

The Oilers assumed a narrow shot lead near the game's midway point and held on to it through the rest of the frame. But despite tallying 20 shots through 40 minutes, the visitors were limited to one goal and progressed into the third period down 2-1.

THIRD PERIOD

Edmonton's hopes of getting another early equalizer were diffused only 40 seconds into the third. After cutting in from the blue line, Columbus defender Marc Methot snapped a pass from Antoine Vermette over Dubnyk's left shoulder, doubling his club's lead.

At that point, the goals started to flow. At 4:07, Dustin Penner converted a feed from Andrew Cogliano into his club's second goal, but Kristian Huselius soon wired the puck through Dubnyk's glove to renew Columbus' two-goal lead.

Just over a minute after that, blueliner Aaron Johnson made it a 4-3 game with his third NHL goal of the season and second point of the game.

The Oilers tried desperately to tie it up again, but missed shots and saves from Mason frustrated the squad. In the final minute of regulation, Dubnyk sped to the bench to enable six skaters, but Antoine Vermette caught the puck and fired home an empty-netter to seal a 5-3 Blue Jackets victory.