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Brule nets shootout winner as Oilers top Red Wings

Mar 20, 2010 - 5:47 AM EDMONTON, Alberta(AP) -- It was beginning to look as if rookie Devan Dubynk would never get his first NHL win.

The Edmonton Oilers were ahead 2-1 and holding on in the final minutes when Detroit's Brian Rafalski beat Dubnyk on a scramble in front of the net with just two-tenths of a second left and sent the game to overtime.

But Gilbert Brule came through with the shootout winner as the Oilers beat the Red Wings 3-2 Friday to help Dubnyk get his first win in 14 appearances this season.

"It didn't feel good," Dubnyk said. "I mean it was pretty crazy how they got one with .02 seconds or whatever it was. I tried not to think 'Oh no! How is this happening?'

"I just tried to tell myself to not let anything get by me in the 5-minute overtime and try to win the shootout."

Detroit's late goal left Edmonton coach Pat Quinn shaking his head.

"We did what a bottom-place team does: We backed off and gave them lots of room at the end," he said. "Dubnyk was really good, in the third period, especially. You never think a puck is going to go in with less than a second left. But we've had that happen to us earlier this season as well.

"But at the end of the night, it was thankfully a great result for him. I think everybody is really happy for him."

Potulny also scored in the shootout session for the Oilers, while Jason Williams had one for the Red Wings.

The point for the Red Wings was crucial as it prevented the Calgary Flames from moving past Detroit into sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference after their 4-3 win over San Jose. Calgary and Detroit are tied for eighth place in the West with 81 points, though the Red Wings have a game in hand.

"That was a huge point for us. We have to feel good about that," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We didn't play well enough at the start. They were quick and we were slow, so they were better.

"The playoff race is a grind and you have to go out there and do the best you can every day. Anytime you leave it to the end like we have, you have to grind it out all the way."

Rafalski said the Red Wings will take the point from his last-second goal, even if adding an extra one in the shootout would have been better.

"It's definitely a point gained the way it came," he said. "We couldn't have waited any longer to score than we did. We had possession of the puck for 95 percent of the overtime. They made some nice penalty shots and we couldn't finish."

Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Whitney also had goals for the last-place Oilers, who snapped a five-game losing streak despite being outshot 17-3 in the third period.

Patrick Eaves scored the other goal for the Red Wings, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Edmonton opened the scoring 57 seconds into the game as Brule made a backhanded pass in front to Cogliano, who had a wide-open net.

The Oilers made it 2-0 four minutes later as Cogliano fed the puck through traffic to Whitney, who scored his first goal as a member of the Oilers since coming over in a trade-deadline deal with Anaheim.

The Oilers fired 16 first-period shots at Detroit's Jimmy Howard, while the Red Wings had nine shots on Dubnyk.

The Red Wings cut into the lead 11:51 into the second period. From behind Edmonton's goal, Kris Draper saw Eaves streaking toward the net and set him up for his 11th of the season.

Detroit finishes off a three-game road trip in Vancouver on Saturday, while Edmonton will next play host to San Jose on Sunday.

NOTES: It was the third meeting of the season between the teams, with Edmonton winning both of the previous games. Detroit swept the four-game season series last year. ... Edmonton's magic number to finish last - a combination of their own losses and Toronto wins - is six. ... Edmonton entered the game with a franchise-record 425 man games lost to injury. The previous high was 346, set in 2007-08. ... After scoring his second period goal, Eaves would later leave with an upper-body injury and did not return. ... Detroit left wing Kirk Maltby (shoulder) is on long-term injured reserve after right shoulder surgery, which will keep him out four to six weeks - leaving any chance of a return dependent on a deep playoff run. The Red Wings haven't missed the playoffs since 1989-90, the longest streak in the NHL. ... It was Howard's 17th straight start for the Wings.