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Weight propels Ducks past Oilers

Dec 28, 2007 - 5:29 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Doug Weight scored with 3:39 remaining in the third period to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

With the score tied at 1-1, rookie Bobby Ryan lofted a nifty pass to Weight in the left faceoff circle. The veteran made no mistake, blasting the puck past goaltender Mathieu Garon for his first goal of the season.

"It's a big play for a veteran guy," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "Again, that's what we're asking of our people is to define their roles - and if he can provide secondary offense for us, it' will be a huge boost to our group."

Weight's goal - his 260th of his career - lifted Anaheim to its fourth consecutive victory.

"We haven't had him all that long, but he's made an immediate impact and that's all you can ask for," Carlyle said.

Conversely, Edmonton suffered its fourth straight loss, managing just five goals in that span. The Oilers have not won a game in regulation since December 2, a 4-0 triumph over the Ducks.

"It's a fine line in today's NHL that determines winners and losers," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "It was a game that we didn't get outplayed, but it's that same sting in the end.

"Three or four minutes can decide a game, and you can pick out a few games lately where a crucial mistake at the wrong time has cost us a game. Tonight was a further example of that."

Edmonton's Marty Reasoner opened the scoring 4:32 into the second period.

Defenseman Tom Gilbert blasted a shot which Reasoner deflected from just inside the right faceoff circle past Jean-Sebastien Giguere for his fourth goal of the season.

Corey Perry leveled the contest nearly eight minutes later with his second goal in as many games.

Skating into the corner, Todd Bertuzzi wristed the puck toward the goal which Perry redirected past Garon to tie the game at 1-1.

"Bertuzzi's the guy that really made the play," Carlyle said. "He went down the wall and found a way to get the puck past whoever was on the check and he found Corey Perry in front of the net. Those are big league plays by big league skilled players."

The goal was Perry's 20th of the season and 50th of his three-year career.

"I have no idea how he found me," Perry said of Bertuzzi. "I think it went through three sets of legs. It was a great pass from him and I couldn't ask for anything more."

"We haven't won in this building for a while," Carlyle said. "We have some former Oilers that have come back here and there was some more incentive because their money was on the board tonight."