|
 But the two sides managed to deliver some pretty good drama in a
3-2 Oilers victory that went down to the final few seconds.
Oilers center Anton Lander led the way with a goal and two assists
as Edmonton overcame an early 1-0 deficit, scoring three-straight
goals and then fending off a late Sabres comeback.
"It was fun to play, and a big win for us," said Lander, as the
Oilers celebrated their third win in the last four games.
"It's nice to get some wins here the last few games. It's a good
thing we have going on now, we have to keep it going."
After a terrible start to their season, a 7-22-7 collapse that led
to the firing of head coach Dallas Eakins, the Oilers appear to be
gaining some traction under new coach Todd Nelson. They are 6-5-2 in
the last 13 and seem to be picking up speed.
"The last four or five games we've been playing really good hockey,"
said Oilers center Derek Roy. "We beat Chicago and Washington, some
good teams there. We just have to keep moving up the standings and
learn how to win."
 So even though the teams are only one spot apart in the standings,
the Oilers were prohibitive favorites against a Buffalo team that
has now lost 13-straight, having been outscored 56-19 over that
stretch.
"We had our chances," said Sabres coach Ted Nolan, whose club is
looking for its first win since Dec. 27. "With this team, we need
everyone, we can't afford two or three guys not playing well or not
giving what they have to give.
"It seems like the same ones over and over again, but we only have
20 players, who else are you going to put in?"
Buffalo managed to give the fans in Edmonton an early scare when
defenseman Tyler Myers made it 1-0 just 2:22 after the opening
faceoff, but the Oilers settled themselves and scored two goals less
than three minutes apart. Left winger Matt Fraser scored the Oilers'
first goal of the night at 12:27 while defenseman Oscar Klefbom
added another at 15:02 to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead into the first
intermission.
"The guys seem so much more confident and we show it out there,"
said Oilers winger Benoit Pouliot. "We're much stronger mentally. We
just have to keep building on that, keep it going."
The second period was the kind of hockey many expected from the two
worst teams in the NHL, sloppy, unproductive and scoreless, setting
up the third period dramatics.
[to top of second column] |
Lander thought he sealed it with his first goal of the season midway
through the third, but Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen threw a
scare into things when he scored to make it 3-2 with 2:02 left.
The Oilers, who spent the first 36 games of the season collapsing in
these types of situations, held firm and closed out the win.
"It's just hard work," said winger Luke Gazdic. "Tonight we just
outworked them plain and simple. If we keep doing that we're going
to have success against a lot of teams."
The Oilers improved their record to 13-27-9 while the Sabres fell to
14-32-3.
"I think we need to stay positive and just keep approaching every
game like we're going to win the game," said Sabres goalie Jhonas
Enroth. "We can't go into every game thinking we're going to lose
the game. We have to stay positive and still believe that we can win
games."
NOTES: Oilers D Nikita Nikitin injured his shoulder in the third
period and "will be out for a while" according to head coach Todd
Nelson. ... Buffalo has the three worst plus-minus totals in the NHL
in their lineup (D Josh Gorges, minus-27; D Rasmus Ristolainen,
minus-24 and RW Chris Stewart, minus-24). Gorges played his 600th
NHL game Thursday. ... During their 13-game losing streak, the
Sabres have been outscored 56-19 and held to one or fewer goals
eight times. ... Oilers LW Taylor Hall missed his second consecutive
game with a bone bruise after being hit on the ankle with a shot in
practice Monday. He is questionable for Saturday in Calgary. ...
Sabres D Nikita Zadorov was a healthy scratch for the second
straight game after returning late following the All-Star Game from
a vacation in the Dominican Republic with his girlfriend. ... Oilers
RW Ted Purcell played his 450th NHL game.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
