Darcy Tucker scores late, again in shootout to lift Avs past Oilers
EDMONTON, Alberta
Darcy Tucker scored on a two-man advantage with 10.7 seconds left in regulation, then added the winner in the fifth round of a shootout in the Colorado Avalanche's 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
Colorado's Wojtek Wolski and Edmonton's Sam Gagner also scored in the shootout, both in the first round.
Former Oilers star Ryan Smyth added a goal in regulation for Colorado. The Avalanche have won three straight after losing five in a row.
Robert Nilsson and Liam Reddox had regulation goals for Edmonton. The Oilers have lost two straight games and four of their last six.
With the Oilers protecting a 2-1 lead late in the third period, the Avs tied it following penalties to Fernando Pisani and Ethan Moreau. With goalie Peter Budaj on the bench, the Avs had a 6-on-3 skating advantage when Tucker redirected a point shot past Dwayne to send the game to extra time.
Shawn Horcoff, Edmonton's fifth shooter, had a chance to extend the shootout, but fired a harmless shot that Budaj redirected with his right pad.
Edmonton struck first just shy of 7 minutes into the game. Tom Gilbert's power-play point shot struck Nilsson in front, but the forward grabbed the loose puck and hooked it past Budaj.
Colorado tied it 4 minutes later when Smyth crashed the net and slid his own rebound under Roloson while being knocked down. It was Smyth's first career goal against his former team.
The Oilers regained the lead 7 minutes into the second period when Reddox, playing in his second NHL game, scored his first NHL goal. He grabbed the puck from behind the Avalanche net and chipped it over Budaj's glove.
Notes:@ Colorado captain Joe Sakic (back) missed his second game in a row. ... Dustin Penner and Kyle Brodziak were healthy scratches for the Oilers. ... The game was the 1,000th in the regular season for Colorado since the team moved to Denver from Quebec City in 1995.