Canucks erase two-goal deficit, drop Oilers in OT
EDMONTON -- Getting even is more fun than getting mad.
Just ask the Vancouver Canucks.
A week after the Edmonton Oilers came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Canucks 3-2 in their own building, Vancouver rolled into Rexall Place and did the exact same thing.
Trailing 2-0 after 28 minutes, the Canucks flicked the switch to "swarm" and had their way with Edmonton the rest of the night, pounding the Oilers with 34 shots over the final two periods and overtime before earning a 3-2 win.
Down to five defensemen and three centers after injuries to Mark Fistric and Shawn Horcoff, the Oilers held out as long as they could, but Jannik Hansen closed it to 2-1 late in the second, Kevin Bieksa tied it with 2:17 left in regulation and Chris Tanev won it with 19 seconds left in overtime.
"This was just what they did to us the first time we met, so it was nice to return the favor," Bieksa said. "We just stuck with it, worked hard and got ourselves back in the game."
Edmonton's Taylor Hall had a chance to win it with a penalty shot in overtime, but Roberto Luongo stood his ground and made the save.
"I was pretty confident," Bieksa said. "Roberto has been looking pretty good in shootouts the last couple of games, and he read it perfectly. He's been great for us."
Luongo, making his fifth start in Vancouver's first nine games, was the game's first star. He was credited with 23 saves.
What started out as a distraction when the Canucks weren't able to move Luongo in the offseason has now grown into a tricky situation Luongo with outplaying the team's other goalie, Cory Schneider.
The Oilers got to him a couple of times -- Ales Hemsky on a power play in the first period and Ryan Smyth with Edmonton short-handed eight minutes into the second period -- but that was it.
"There comes a point where you just have to put the puck in the net," Oilers winger Jordan Eberle said. "We're looked upon to score goals, and the last couple of games, we haven't done that."
At the other end, the Oilers gave Devan Dubnyk, who has posted a 1.46 GAA in his previous four games, his ninth straight start. He made 37 saves in the loss.
Dubnyk, who'd been a backup his entire career, began the season amid concerns that he didn't have the stuff to be a legitimate No. 1 goalie on a playoff team. However, he's been sensational for the Oilers, and he was again Monday.
"We have to find a way to close these out because it's a painful one to swallow," Eberle said. "Dubnyk stood on his head, and he deserved to win. We wanted to win it for him. But you have to give them credit, they fought back."
The Oilers lost Fistric to a back injury in the first period when he missed with a hip check and got nothing but boards. Horcoff was hurt in the second period when he blocked a shot.
NOTES: Edmonton coach Ralph Krueger showed he's willing to make the tough decisions. He made veteran defenseman Ryan Whitney a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. ... Captain Shawn Horcoff returned to the Oilers' lineup after missing two games with a strained neck, and teammates Ryan Jones (eye) and Ben Eager (concussion) began skating for the first time since their injuries... Canucks forward Ryan Kesler also took another step toward the lineup, practicing for the first time since offseason shoulder and wrist surgery. ... Vancouver GM Mike Gillis created a major stir by taking in a Capitals game on the weekend, so much so that he called Washington counterpart George McPhee to apologize for the subsequent firestorm of trade rumors. Gillis said he and the Caps are not working on a deal... Oilers forward Sam Gagner extended his consecutive-game point streak to nine games (3-7-10) with a first-period assist.
