Deslauriers makes it three straight with 31 saves vs. Canucks

Vancouver's Roberto Luongo watches Robert Nilsson's shot fly into the net Tuesday, March 23 at Rexall Place. The Oilers went on to beat the Canucks 3-2. (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 Andrew Cogliano, Tom Gilbert, Dean Arsene, Jeff Deslauriers & Head Coach Pat Quinn after the win Nathan Deobald: Emergency Goaltender The Other Side: Shane O'Brien, Mason Raymond, Roberto Luongo & Head Coach Alain Vigneault

AUDIO

Audio Highlights Dean Arsene Andrew Cogliano Tom Gilbert Jeff Deslauriers Nathan Deobald Pat Quinn

THREE STARS

Jeff Deslauriers, EDM - 31 saves Mason Raymond, VAN - 1g + 6 shots Tom Gilbert, EDM - goal + assist for game-leading 2 points

UPDATE

With the win, the Oilers improve to 24-42-7 yet remain in 15th spot in the Western Conference with 55 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Oilers conclude their four-game homestand Friday, March 26 vs. Anaheim. The game starts at 7:00pm MDT and will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet West. Click here for tickets

For the third straight game, the Oilers jumped out to an early two-goal lead vs. a statistically superior opponent, and for the third straight game, they rode strong goaltending to defy the standings and hold on for two points.

Tom Gilbert and Robert Nilsson capitalized on a shaky start for Vancouver's Robert Luongo with first-period goals, while Andrew Cogliano added another marker in the second. Jeff Deslauriers finished with 31 saves -- including a handful of unbelievable stops -- to seal a 3-2 win, the Oilers third in a row.

FIRST PERIOD

Although the Canucks posted the first two shots of the game, the Oilers required only one to get a goal. Three minutes in, defenceman Gilbert jumped into the play, circled behind the visiting net, received a feed from Fernando Pisani, and then slipped the puck past Luongo.

Shortly after the goal, Dustin Penner drew a holding minor from Christian Ehrhoff, and although the Oilers came close to doubling their lead, Luongo prevented a powerplay goal.

He couldn't prevent another even-strength marker, however. After receiving a bang-on cross-ice pass from Marc Pouliot, Nilsson surged up the left wing and snapped home the puck to make it 2-0 Oilers at 6:58.

Vancouver countered with a pair of good scoring opportunities near the middle of the period, but they couldn't beat Deslauriers until the 13-minute mark. Poised at the corner of the crease, Mason Raymond tapped a feed from Michael Grabner into the open net, getting the Canucks back within one.

The 2-1 game persisted until the end of the first, with the Canucks owning a 10-7 shot lead after 20 minutes.

SECOND PERIOD

Like in the period previous, Vancouver dominated the shot clock at the start of the frame but Edmonton was the first to capitalize. After Deslauriers made a pair of big saves to preserve his club's lead, Cogliano added some breathing room by fooling Luongo with an innocent-looking long shot eight minutes in.

Near the game's midway point, Taylor Chorney put the Oilers on the disadvantage by taking a holding minor, but Deslauriers stopped the lone powerplay attempt and then robbed Alex Burrows with a huge blocker stop after the rookie defenceman was set free.

While Burrows couldn't beat JD, Daniel Sedin made it happen late in the period. With help from his brother Henrik, Daniel stood out in the crowd by snagging the pass and wristing the puck past Deslauriers to set the score 3-2.

A late penalty to Aaron Johnson put the Oilers back on the penalty kill, but the club resisted the Canucks assault to maintain their one-goal lead despite trailing 22 shots to 13 after 40 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD

Edmonton started strong in the final frame, a two-minute stretch that Gilbert Brule capped with a partial breakaway. After battling up to and across Luongo, Brule had half an open net but hit the goalie's outstretched pad with the puck, preventing what would have been a pretty goal.

Six minutes later, Deslauriers proved he's also a contender for Save of the Night. With the Canucks swarming, JD was forced to fly across the crease to cover Kyle Wellwood and came up with a flashy, highlight-worthy glove stop.

The 'Nucks attained 30 shots with just under eight minutes left in regulation, but the visitors' efforts to tie it up were promptly postponed thanks to a slashing minor to Tanner Glass.

With two minutes and 32 Canucks shots on the clock, Deslauriers was called upon to make another sparkling save on Wellwood, this time by stretching post to post to completely smother the goal line.

Vancouver opted for six skaters in the final minute, but the extra attacker failed to trigger the game-tying goal and Edmonton held on for a 3-2 win, their third in a row.