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Laperriere scores twice as Avalanche keep rolling

Mar 22, 2007 - 5:33 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Ian Laperriere helped keep the Colorado Avalanche focused on their quest.

Laperriere scored two goals and Tyler Arnason added three assists as the Avalanche continued their feverish playoff push with a 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Colorado (38-29-6), which has won four games in a row and nine of its last 10, climbed within four points of idle Calgary (38-25-10) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both teams have nine games remaining, including a meeting at the Pengrowth Saddledome on April 3.

"I thought we had a chance to make the playoffs, but with nine games left, I didn't think we'd be four points out," Arnason said. "It's been a good run."

"We needed the points bad," Colorado captain Joe Sakic said. "We're a desperate hockey team and we need to keep winning. Games we're winning now are games we weren't winning earlier in the year. We're excited to be back in the race, and we're at a point where we just need to keep winning games."

Laperriere opened the scoring just 89 seconds into the game, jamming a rebound past goaltender Dwayne Roloson from the doorstep.

"I was just waiting there and it was a lucky rebound," Laperriere said. "I was praying that the puck would come out, and it did, so I just banged it in there."

The right wing capped his first multi-goal effort of the season when he took Arnason's pass from behind the net and snapped the puck by Roloson for a 3-0 advantage at 2:22 of the second period.

"Arnason made a heck of a pass and put it on my tape, and all I had to do was put it in," Laperriere said. "It's fun to play with guys like that who can create things offensively, and I was the recipient of that with two goals tonight."

Sakic and defensemen John-Michael Liles and Brett Clark also scored for the Avalanche, who have not lost in regulation since February 25.

Andrew Brunette recorded a pair of assists and Peter Budaj made 22 saves for Colorado.

Avalanche rookie Paul Stastny was kept off the scoresheet for the second straight game after setting an NHL rookie record with points in 20 consecutive contests.

Rookie Patrick Thoresen scored the lone goal for the Oilers, who have lost a franchise-record 12 straight games. The previous mark of 11 consecutive setbacks was set in 1993-94.

Thoresen's tally snapped a 53-game goalless drought.

"I just put one hand up because the result was what it was, not too much to celebrate," Thoresen said. "It was nice to get a goal when it's been so long."

Edmonton has scored a total of 11 goals during its slide, failing to tally more than twice in any contest. It has surrendered 44 goals over that span.

"It's embarrassing," Oilers captain Jason Smith said. "It's not the effort, the execution or the work ethic that we need to play at this level, that's for sure.

"We haven't won many games lately, and that's disappointing. I don't think it matters if you play well and lose, the bottom line is that we need to figure out what to do to get some results."