Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (OT)
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Edmonton Oilers blew a two-goal lead before rallying to snap a five-game losing streak, beating the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime Tuesday night at the BB&T Center.
Edmonton right winger Mark Arcobello scored 1:55 into overtime on a power play. Panthers center Scottie Upshall was sent off for tripping, giving Edmonton the power-play chance.
Up to that time, Upshall, who hadn't scored all season, led Florida's rally. He scored with 9:56 left in the third period, making it 3-2 on assists from defenseman Brian Campbell and center Jesse Winchester.
Upshall tied the score, 3-3, on a dramatic goal that came with 56.7 seconds left in regulation. Center Marcel Goc and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov got the assists.
The Oilers (4-10-2) entered the game as the 22nd-ranked scoring team in the NHL. Even so, they looked fast against the Panthers (3-8-4), who lost their six straight game and entered the night as the league's third-worst team in goals allowed.
Florida's losing streak coincides with the absence of injured goalie Tim Thomas. The Panthers' last win was Oct. 19, when Thomas was in goal for a 2-1 victory over Minnesota. Thomas got hurt in Florida's next game.
On Tuesday, Edmonton snapped a 1-1 tie with two goals just 33 seconds apart early in the second period.
First, with just 2:06 elapsed in the second period, Arcobello scored on a bad-angle shot from the left side, giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead. The assists went to center Boyd Gordon and left wing Ryan Jones.
Then, defenseman Taylor Fedun, making his NHL debut, streaked in from the right side and scored off a perfect feed from center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who got his eighth assist of the season. Right winger Jordan Eberle got the secondary assist, also his eighth.
The Panthers scored first, getting a goal from Goc with 10:35 elapsed in the first period. Goc, trailing on the play, came in from the right side and lifted a wrist shot past Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk.
Edmonton tied the score at 1 with 3:01 left in the first period. Defensemen Philip Larsen, showing his speed, blazed down the right side to score his first goal of the season. The assists went to Nugent-Hopkins and Gordon.
Dubnyk finished with 20 saves. Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots.
NOTES: Panthers RW Kris Versteeg, who was a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career Saturday, was back in the lineup. ... Panthers G Tim Thomas (leg) is expected to make the next road trip, which starts Thursday at the Boston Bruins, his former team. ... Panthers C Scott Gomez and D Matt Gilroy were healthy scratches. ... Oilers LW Ryan Smyth (groin) returned to action after missing two weeks. ... Oilers D Justin Schultz (groin), LW David Perron (knee) and D Anton Belov (knee) were scratched. ... This is the first of a four-game road trip for the Oilers. They play at Tampa on Thursday and then finish up at Philadelphia and Chicago. ... Several Oilers executives, including general manager Craig MacTavish, were in New York on Monday to scout the Rangers. Edmonton reportedly is talking about trading either LW Ales Hemsky or LW Nail Yakupov to the Rangers.
