Canucks quell Oilers comeback, win 4-3 Tuesday

Edmonton's Ryan Whitney and Jordan Eberle attempt to get the puck past Vancouver's Robert Luongo Tuesday, November 2 at Rexall Place. The Canucks won the game 4-3. (Photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

 

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PRE-GAME

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

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Watch the highlights Oilers post-game comments from Gagner, Whitney, Horcoff & Head Coach Tom Renney The Other Side: Roberto Luongo, Raffi Torres, Alex Burrows & Head Coach Alain Vigneault

AUDIO

Audio Highlights Sam Gagner Shawn Horcoff Ryan Whitney Tom Renney

THREE STARS

Raffi Torres, VAN - 3 goals Andrew Cogliano, EDM - 2 assists Kevin Bieksa, VAN - 3 assists

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers fall to 3-5-2 and remain in 15th spot in the Western Conference with eight points.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Oilers wrap up a quick two-game homestand Friday, November 5 vs. Detroit. The game starts at 7:00pm MT and will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet Oilers.

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Under the Scope

A sluggish first period had the Oilers in an early 3-0 hole, but a second-period goal by Dustin Penner and third-period markers from Ryan Jones and Gilbert Brule put the club even with the Canucks after 45 minutes. The comeback was cut there, however, as Vancouver's Raffi Torres added his third goal of the night to seal a hat trick and salvage a 4-3 win for the Canucks.

Ladislav Smid and Andrew Cogliano registered two assists each for the Oilers, while Kevin Bieksa matched Torres' point total with three helpers of his own. In net, Nikolai Khabibulin finished with 26 saves and Roberto Luongo with 23.

Under the Scope

FIRST PERIOD

Both teams eased into the Tuesday night tilt, tallying only three shots in the game's first eight minutes. Midway through the frame, Vancouver's Alex Burrows had an excellent scoring chance when he wristed the puck on a seemingly wide-open net, but Khabibulin came up with a stealth glove snag to keep it scoreless.

Shortly after the shot, Smid was called for delay of game and the Canucks went on the power-play. 31 seconds into the man-advantage, Daniel Sedin deflected the puck into the net to set the score 1-0.

32 seconds after that, Torres doubled the visiting lead. With help from Manny Malhotra and Bieksa, the former Oiler fired a sharp-angle shot top shelf, putting the Canucks up 2-0.

An unsuccessful Oilers power-play stalled the Canucks assault, but the visitors soon regained control of the game. With Tom Gilbert in the penalty box, Torres added a second goal by tipping Bieksa's point shot past Khabibulin.

The power-play goal sealed a difficult period for Edmonton and put the club down 3-0 and 11-5 on the shot clock heading into the middle frame.

SECOND PERIOD

Edmonton came out strong in the second period, firing five shots on Luongo before Vancouver could add one of their own.

At 9:16, the effort resulted in an Oilers shot lead and first home goal of the game. After receiving a pass from Cogliano, Penner circled the Canucks net and wrapped the puck around Luongo's left post to get the Oilers back within two.

Edmonton battled a four-minute stretch of five-on-four in the latter half of the period, but top-notch penalty-killing prevented Vancouver from increasing their cushion.

After 40 minutes, the Oilers were trailing 3-1 and down 21 shots to 17.

THIRD PERIOD

Edmonton and Vancouver battled back and forth to start the third, but the home team was the first to land a blow. Near the four-minute mark, Zack Stortini fired the puck on Luongo with Jones on his doorstep. Jones prodded the rebound across the line to notch his third of the season and make it a one-goal game.

Less than two minutes later, the game was even. Cogliano surged up the right side, cut to the middle, and fed a quick pass to Brule. Brule one-timed a sweet shot into the net, tying the game at three and giving Cogliano and Smid their second helpers of the night.

But the two-assist mark would soon be topped by Torres. At 10:53, the Canucks winger directed a point shot through traffic to secure a hat trick and renew his club's lead.

In desperation to get back on even terms, the Oilers pulled Khabibulin in the final 30 seconds. Unfortunately the extra attacker failed to net an extra goal and the Canucks took a 4-3 win Tuesday night.