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Cogliano, Oilers keep Islanders reeling on the road

Jan 6, 2009 - 6:20 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Andrew Cogliano scored to snap a tie midway through the third period as the Edmonton Oilers handed the New York Islanders their 13th consecutive road loss on Monday by rallying to a 3-2 triumph.

Defenseman Jason Strudwick netted his first tally of the season, Kyle Brodziak scored and Dwayne Roloson finished with 25 saves for Edmonton, which improved to 5-2-0 in its last seven games.

Rookie Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau scored and Joey MacDonald turned aside 23 shots for New York, which fell to 0-12-1 away from the Nassau Coliseum since a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on November 24.

With the game tied at 2-2 at 9:58 of the third period, Marc Pouliot unleashed a shot from the high slot which MacDonald denied, but the puck settled right on the doorstep. Cogliano skated in and tapped it past the netminder for his 12th goal of the season and second in as many games.

"We just couldn't lose this game. When a team comes in the way they did, you have to win it," Cogliano said. "It was a big win for us and a confidence boost going into our next game against the Canucks, which I feel is one of our biggest games of the season.

"Some mental errors set us back at the beginning but we found a way to get through it."

Okposo nearly leveled the contest after his wrist shot in the slot caromed off the left goalpost with just 5:44 remaining in the third.

After the Islanders notched a 2-0 lead in the first period, Brodziak halved the deficit midway through the second after his centering feed deflected managed to slip past MacDonald.

"We were sloppy at the start," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "They played as good as anybody against us, especially early. They put a lot of pressure on us and we didn't handle it very well.

"We got behind the eight-ball forcing the puck up the middle. We collected ourselves and played a pretty workman-like second and third."

Edmonton tied the game at 2-2 just over three minutes later as Zack Stortini's wrist shot caromed off Strudwick's skate and into the net. After a lengthy review, the goal was allowed to stand.

"When I was waiting to find out if I had scored, I was thinking, 'C'mon give a guy a break.'" Strudwick said. "I didn't feel like I kicked it in. It was out of my hands and I was just hoping for the best."

Islanders coach Scott Gordon was less than impressed.

"The fourth line scored two goals. One goes off our foot, and the second one is a kicked in goal. To me, I don't think they should get any credit for that," Gordon said. "Yeah they threw the puck to the net, but at the end of the day, those are the fluke things that happen that don't go our way."

MacDonald was less critical.

"It's one of those things," MacDonald said. "The first goal we got a lucky break off of an Oilers' skate and the second one, I think it could have went either way.

"If he would have called it no goal, it would have been no goal 0 but he called it goal right away. So for him to turn it over, I think it would have been a tough decision. That's just a lucky bounce. He was going to the net and then (the puck went) off his foot."