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Laperriere powers Avalanche past Oilers

Oct 24, 2008 - 5:15 AM By Dave Reed PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Ian Laperriere recorded a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche scored three times in the second period en route to a 4-1 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in a battle of Northwest Division rivals.

Paul Stastny, Cody McLeod and captain Joe Sakic also tallied and Ben Guite and Darcy Tucker notched two assists apiece for Colorado, which has won four straight after dropping its first three contests of the season.

Shawn Horcoff netted a power-play goal and Mathieu Garon made 25 saves for the Oilers, who suffered their second loss in as many days after starting the campaign with four straight victories.

Laperriere completed the "Gordie Howe hat trick" by briefly going toe-to-toe with Zack Stortini with 7:11 remaining in the third period.

"I don't know. I don't count those," said Laperriere, when asked how many "Gordie Howe hat tricks" he has notched in his career. "I got one (real hat trick), but I have more 'Gordie Howe (hat tricks)' for sure. But I got one, you can't take that away from me."

The fight followed the departure of Horcoff, who injured his chin while attempting to check Guite. The center will be evaluated on Friday.

After Horcoff opened the scoring 3:40 into the second period, Laperriere leveled the contest nearly nine minutes later - becoming the 16th Colorado player to score a goal this season in the process.

Laperriere knocked in the rebound of Guite's shot with 7:22 remaining in the second for his first goal of the campaign.

"Ben Guite just put it on net, and that's what (coach Tony Granato) wants us to do," Laperriere said. "Keep it simple, put it on net. I just drove the net and the puck was there."

Stastny gave the Avalanche the lead with 2:08 remaining in the session, gathering a rebound and slipping the puck past Garon for a power-play goal. The tally, his second of the season, extended his points streak to seven games.

"I don't know, I get a couple bounces here and there," Stastny said of his streak. "The most important thing is, we're winning. If you get the points or you don't, as long as the team is winning. It's always a good mood in the locker room and good to be around these guys."

The mood was decidedly different in Edmonton's locker room.

"You can't take penalties against a team like this. They're a counter-punch team," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said.

McLeod gave Colorado a two-goal bulge just 65 seconds later. As he drove toward the net, McLeod lost control of the puck, but Garon followed the Avalanche player as the puck slipped between his pads.

"We had everything going for a good road game up until the 7 1/2 minutes were left (in the second period)," MacTavish said. "It turned in a hurry."

Sakic capped the scoring 3:32 into the third period, when he received a pass from Tucker and beat Garon just inside the right goalpost.

"It was a big win for us. Everybody works hard, but it's good to see Lappy (Laperriere) score," said Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj, who made 25 saves. "He's the heart and soul of our team. He works hard, a tremendous competitor. Especially all those shots from the point, and Lappy just went to the net and buried them."