Avalanche 1 - 4 Oilers
Final
  for this game

Edmonton takes down Colorado

Dec 10, 2011 - 5:41 AM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Sam Gagner scored twice and added an assist as the Edmonton Oilers took a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche at Rexall Place.

Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist while Ben Eager also lit the lamp for the Oilers, who had lost five of six coming into the contest. Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 28 shots in the win.

"It was a big improvement, a better effort and just way more commitment to the little things we need to do to be successful," said Edmonton head coach Tom Renney.

Jay McClement scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who have dropped three straight. Semyon Varlamov gave up all four goals on 35 shots in the loss.

"It hurts anytime that you start a game with a goal against you early," said Colorado head coach Joe Sacco. "They had the right mindset tonight and we didn't. They played a good game and you have to give them credit."

Edmonton scored on the power play six minutes in when Gagner powered his way from the low-right boards to the side and shoved it into the net.

In the final minute of the first, the Oilers took a 2-0 lead when Eager jammed the puck in on his third whack in front of the net.

Colorado got one back 3:29 into the second. Daniel Winnik's shot from the right wing hit off the backboards and came out to the left side where McClement snapped it home to make it a 2-1 game.

Eberle, though, got the two-goal lead back on the power play as his quick wrist shot from the left circle off a feed from Gagner got past Varlamov at the 10:36 mark.

Edmonton made it a 4-1 game with just 2.5 seconds left in the second when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins skated down the right wing on a 2-on-1 and slid a perfect pass over to the left where Gagner shot it home.

Khabibulin turned aside all nine shots he faced in the third to preserve the lead.

Game Notes

The Oilers play their next three on the road starting Saturday in Calgary...Colorado hosts San Jose for the start of a home-and-home series on Tuesday...Nugent-Hopkins had two assists to increase his point total to 32, tops in the NHL amongst rookies...Edmonton went 2-for-5 on the power play while Colorado was 0-for-3.






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