CENOVUS GAME STORY
Sunday, 9 October 2011
FINAL SO
1 - 2
FINAL SO 1 2 3 OT SO T
Penguins 1 0 0 0 0 (1-3) 1
Oilers 0 0 1 0 1 (2-3) 2
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GOAL SCORERS

PIT:   K. Letang (PPG, 03:13 - 1st)
EDM:   R. Nugent-Hopkins (15:05 - 3rd) , A. Hemsky (00:00 - SO)
GOALIES

PIT: B. Johnson (L)
 EDM: D. Dubnyk (W)
Oilers win 2-1 in dramatic season-opener
Ryan Dittrick  - edmontonoilers.com

Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins bangs home his first career NHL goal in Sunday's third period. The Oilers won the game 2-1 in a shootout  (Photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club).

GAME ESSENTIALS
 GAME DAY
View tonight's Photo Gallery
Under the Scope
Read the Game Preview
 POST-GAME VIDEO
CLIP: RNH's 1st career goal
CLIP: Dubnyk's great save
Watch the Highlights
Watch the Shootout
IN FOCUS: RNH, Dubnyk, Smyth & Renney's post-game comments
RAW: Renney post-game
THE OTHER SIDE: Penguins' Johnson, Letang & Coach Bylsma comment
 POST-GAME AUDIO
Devan Dubnyk
Jordan Eberle
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Smyth
Tom Renney
Audio Highlights
 THREE STARS
1. Devan Dubnyk - EDM
2. Brent Johnson - PIT
3. R. Nugent-Hopkins - EDM
 EDM SHOOTOUT RESULTS
1. Jordan Eberle - Score
2. Ales Hemsky - Score
3. Linus Omark - Miss
 PIT SHOOTOUT RESULTS
1. Kris Letang - Miss
2. James Neal - Score
3. Steve Sullivan - Miss
 UPDATE
The Oilers' 2011-12 season record improves to 1-0-0.
 WHAT'S NEXT
The Oilers hit the road for one game on Thursday when they visit the Minnesota Wild. Game time is 6:00 p.m. MDT and it can be seen on Sportsnet West.

It took over 55 minutes to score, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' goal pulled the Oilers even at 55:05, opening the door for Jordan Eberle and Ales Hemsky to do the rest in the shootout.

Both scored, while Devan Dubnyk stopped a pair, in addition to another 33 in regulation and overtime to ensure the Oilers' opening-night victory by a 2-1 score.

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FIRST PERIOD

Fuelled by an emotional opening ceremony, the Oilers got a little too excited early on. At 2:33, the home side was assessed a bench minor for too many men. The Penguins peppered Devan Dubnyk and, on the visitors' sixth shot 30 seconds into the power-play, Kris Letang's one-timer dribbled past the Oilers netminder to make it 1-0.

At 4:58, the Oilers went on the power-play when Pittsburgh's Joe Vitale was charged with holding. Edmonton came close when Taylor Hall pounced on a goal-line centering pass, but the Penguins' 1-0 lead remained.

The Oilers went back on the power-play at 8:23, but much like the home team's earlier attempt, the two-minute advantage passed without a goal.

With 6:16 on the clock, another strong Oilers push resulted in a man-advantage opportunity; Elk Point, AB native Mark Letestu was assessed a cross-checking minor when he drilled Ales Hemsky in the Penguins' end.

The power-play soon turned into a 5-on-3 opportunity, 1:29 later, when centre Pascal Dupuis was issued a hooking minor. The Oilers took a 13-8 lead on the shot clock, but were unable to orchestrate the tying marker.

Power-play chances continued to come late in the period, but it was the Oilers' turn to kill when Jeff Petry was charged at 17:29. The Penguins' two-minute chance passed without incident and headed into the intermission with the visitors up 1-0.

With 20 minutes in the books, the Oilers trailed but held a 13-9 edge in shots.

SECOND PERIOD

An ill-advised breakout pass by Theo Peckham forced Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to take a tripping penalty at 2:45, putting Pittsburgh back on the man-advantage. Exceptional penalty-killing by Eric Belanger and Dubnyk kept the Oilers within striking distance.

As the period's midway point passed, the Oilers and Penguins were tied 15-15 in shots. The visitors went back to the power-play when Tom Gilbert was charged for hooking at 10:14. Blocked shots by Ladislav Smid and Belanger, in addition to a sensational desperation denial by Dubnyk, preserved the Oilers' one-goal disadvantage.

The Oilers pushed hard late in the period, peppering Penguins 'tender Brent Johnson with three high-quality scoring chances, but were unable to cash the equalizer.

Minor penalties to Ryan Jones and Jordan Staal put the teams in a 1:15-long 4-on-4 session but, once again, chances were scarce as Edmonton looked to pull even.

With 40 minutes expired, the Penguins continued to lead 1-0, while the Oilers held a slim 21-18 lead on the shot clock.

THIRD PERIOD

The Oilers continued to press early and nearly converted when Nugent-Hopkins' slick pass into the slot was redirected wide by Ryan Smyth. The energy was soon squashed when Andy Sutton rocketed the puck into Section 119, earning him a two-minute minor penalty.

The ensuing Penguins power-play passed in a hurry, and the game's 1-0 score continued to grace the scoreboard.

With 10:48 remaining, Cam Barker played a pick on Jordan Staal, putting Pittsburgh back on the power-play - this time, a 4-on-3 advantage since Belanger and Deryk Engelland were assessed coincidental minors 39 seconds prior.

The Penguins' seventh PP opportunity passed without incident, as their 1-0 lead carried through to the period's 12-minute mark. By this time, the Oilers had established a 31-25 lead in shots, but were unable to solve Brent Johnson.

It took 46:52 once Pittsburgh took the lead, but the Oilers equalled the score, dramatically, late in the period. Nugent-Hopkins bulled his way toward the net, hammering the puck several times on Johnson; he collected his own rebound on one, slipping the biscuit past the Penguins netminder to tie the score, 1-1.

Moments later at 15:35, Ryan Smyth crushed Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz - a little too aggressively, mind you. Smyth was assessed an elbowing major and game misconduct on the play, putting the Penguins back on an extended power-play.

The Oilers came up big, killing all but the 34 remaining seconds prior to overtime.

OVERTIME

16 seconds into the extra period, Steve Sullivan raced down the wing, snapping the puck up high. The blast eluded Dubnyk, but his crossbar saved the day as overtime continued and returned back to 5-on-5 action.

With only moments on the clock, Anton Lander orchestrated the near game-winning goal. He passed to a streaking Petry down the middle, whose quick snapper struck iron, blocker-side.

With 65 minutes in the books, the Oilers held a 35-34 shot advantage but were headed to a shootout with the Penguins.

SHOOTOUT

Jordan Eberle and Ales Hemsky both scored with quick, up-top and glove-side shots on Brent Johnson. James Neal replied for Pittsburgh, allowing Linus Omark to seal the victory. His YouTube style attempt went high and wide, opening the door for Devan Dubnyk to be the hero.

No. 40 stopped Steve Sullivan's on-the-ice shot attempt, pushing the Oilers to a well-earned 2-1 win in the team's home- and season-opener. 


GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS


Three star selections
1st:   DEVAN DUBNYK
2nd:   BRENT JOHNSON
3rd:   RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS
Winning Goaltender
Devan Dubnyk

Losing Goaltender
Brent Johnson
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