Oilers 2 - 1 Panthers
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Slick move gets Oilers past Panthers in SO

Mar 24, 2012 - 5:56 AM Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins netted the lone goal of the shootout, ending the fourth round and sending Edmonton to a 2-1 victory over Florida on Friday.

Nugent-Hopkins outwaited Jose Theodore, and managed to slip a backhander home from the right side for the deciding tally.

Ryan Jones scored in regulation for the Oilers, who have won four of six. Devan Dubnyk stopped 26-of-27 shots in the victory.

"Our guys are working hard and the effort is legitimate," said Edmonton coach Tom Renney, whose team has 69 points -- second-fewest in the NHL. "That's the main thing -- we have to make sure we bring this thing home properly."

Jason Garrison scored for the Panthers, who were denied a chance to set a team record for consecutive wins at home.

Theodore ended up with 20 saves, but Florida, with the point beyond regulation, remained four points ahead of Washington for the top spot in the Southeast Division.

"I don't like playing the scoreboard game. I like taking care of our business and tonight we just didn't do that," Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen said about his team's playoff position.

Jones gave Edmonton the lead at 1:37 of the second period, finishing off a 2- on-1 with Jordan Eberle by lifting a shot home from the left wing.

Garrison equalized for the hosts just shy of the five-minute mark, as he slid the puck past Dubnyk from the left circle off a Tomas Fleischman dish. The tally was his 16th of the year, breaking a Florida franchise record for goals in a season by a defenseman.

Dubnyk stopped 10 shots and Theodore six in a scoreless third period.

Dubnyk did the splits to deny Kris Versteeg on a clean breakaway in the final seconds of OT, then was the recipient of luck as Versteeg's poke slid along the goal line and skittered off the opposite pipe.

Game Notes

Edmonton improved to 5-7 in shootouts, and Florida fell to 4-7...The Oilers have won seven of the last eight meetings dating back to December of 2002...Garrison surpassed Jay Bouwmeester (2007-09) and Bryan McCabe (2008-09) for the honor.






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