• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Team effort helps Oilers edge Sharks

Feb 15, 2008 - 7:41 AM By Michael Duca PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Ales Hemsky, Kyle Brodziak and Fernando Pisani each scored as eight different players registered a point to help the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

Mathieu Garon made 28 saves for the Oilers, who have won four of their last five games.

"It's one of the first times I've won here," said Garon, whose team began a four-game trek. "I think it's huge for us starting a road trip."

Brodziak feels the balanced scoring is the key to remaining competitive down the stretch.

"We lost a huge player in Shawn Horcoff (to injury), and also Sheldon Souray," Brodziak said. "So we've got to spread out the offense a little bit, and I think the last couple of games, we've done a pretty decent job of doing that."

Joe Pavelski and Mike Grier tallied and All-Star Evgeni Nabokov made 15 saves for San Jose, which ended its six-game homestand with a 3-2-1 record.

Edmonton opened the scoring on a power play in the second period after San Jose's Jody Shelley received a double-minor for roughing.

Rookie Sam Gagner fired a shot through the crease and Hemsky launched a backhanded one-timer from the right faceoff circle that squeezed behind Nabokov's right arm and into the corner of the net 91 seconds into the period. With the assist, Gagner has seven points in his last five games.

Edmonton extended its lead to 2-0 midway through the second as Brodziak scored his third goal in two games when he wristed a centering pass from Zach Stortini out of the air and past Nabokov from the right circle at 9:33.

"It was a wild first period," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "It was just one of those games where everyone is just shell-shocked with the amount of penalties. There were a couple 5-on-3s during the course of the game, but we rallied in the second. And we did what we needed to get the win."

San Jose halved the deficit with 3:17 remaining. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic's shot rebounded into the slot, where it was tipped by Milan Michalek and swiped past Garon's stick by Pavelski for his 12th goal of the season.

The tally ended a six-game drought for Pavelski, who last scored on January 29 - also against Edmonton. However, the 23-year-old was too disappointed with the loss to discuss his goal.

"There's definitely some frustration," he said. "We wanted those two points, didn't get the start we wanted. We came back strong, had good opportunities to close the game and we weren't able to get the goals."

The Oilers extended their lead to 3-1 early in the third, when captain Ethan Moreau poke-checked the puck away from Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren in the neutral zone and passed to Pisani for a 2-on-none rush. Pisani converted at 3:33, scoring his sixth goal of the season from the slot.

"I was just trying to keep it in and keep it in front of me," McLaren said. "It bounced over my stick and right onto his. The puck has been bouncing a lot lately in this building, at key times. Sometimes it feels like you're playing basketball with the puck out there."

San Jose drew within one five minutes later as Grier scored on a shorthanded breakaway, snapping a shot between Garon's pads off a pass by blue-liner Craig Rivet after Hemsky committed a turnover.

It was the Sharks' sixth shorthanded goal of the season and also the sixth allowed by the Oilers.

"We got good pressure on them at the blue line," Grier said. "I took a chance and floated out there since we were down two goals, and Rivet made a great play."

The Sharks had an opportunity to tie it late during a two-man advantage as both Jarret Stoll and defenseman Steve Staios were whistled for hooking in the final minute. But the Oilers did not surrender a shot and escaped with the victory.

"You see all the guys (for the Sharks), they're all top scorers," Garon said. "It was a little scary, but we did a good job on the faceoff and didn't give them anything."