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Penner helps Oilers snap six-game slide

Jan 3, 2008 - 6:02 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- It took a little extra time, but Dustin Penner helped the Edmonton Oilers end their six-game losing streak.

Penner scored two goals, including the winner on a power play in overtime, to lead the Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.

Defenseman Tom Gilbert also tallied and Mathieu Garon made 31 saves for Edmonton, which still has not won in regulation since December 2. The club has posted a 5-6-3 record over that stretch.

"The stretch that we've had here, everybody's played very well," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "As a coach, you worry that the guys are going to start getting frustrated because of the amount of effort that they are putting in every night to have things go wrong. It's disappointing, to say the least."

After goaltender Hannu Toivonen stopped Jarret Stoll's attempt, Penner collected the rebound by kicking the puck to his stick before Toivonen could cover it. Penner then fired a quick shot past the netminder to end the game, capitalizing on the man advantage with 18 seconds remaining in the extra session.

It was Penner's 12th goal of the season and first game-winner.

"With (Stoll) back there, there are going to be shots," Penner said. "Eventually, the puck will lie there, and I just collected it and put it in the net."

"Usually, we are killing the penalty in overtime," Edmonton defenseman Joni Pitkanen said. "But this time, we got the power play."

The Oilers picked up the win despite being outshot, 33-24. Garon turned aside nine shots in the first period, 10 in second, eight in the third and three more in overtime to record his first victory since December 15.

Garon also helped kill seven St. Louis power plays, including three in the third, and all concerned seem to be grateful for it.

"It was nice to see that we battled through some pretty good adversity in the third period in terms of the amount of penalties that we had," MacTavish said. "I'm happy for them because they deserved it."

"Our penalty kill hasn't faltered all year," Penner added. "Today, we managed to get a goal on the power play."

Even without Andy McDonald for a fourth consecutive game due to a pulled chest muscle, St. Louis coach Andy Murray would like to see some production from his own power play.

"There should be a guilt feeling because of how many times the penalty kill has bailed them out this season," Murray said.

With the game even at 1-1 in the third period, Robert Nilsson made a great outlet pass to Penner in the neutral zone to spring him on a breakaway. Penner deked and put a shot past Toivonen to give the Oilers a 2-1 edge at 5:18.

"He has a long reach and he can definitely do stuff like that," Toivonen said of Penner's goals. "He made a good move. I bit on it too much and it cost me."

Pitkanen, who also recorded an assist on the goal, made an airborne block over the goal line to deny Paul Kariya at 6:20 of the second period.

"I just put up my stick, the stick went the right way and I was lucky," Pitkanen said.

David Backes received a backhand centering pass from Jamal Mayers between two defenders and slapped a shot past Garon with 8:56 left in the third to tie the contest at 2-2.

Penner appeared to have excellent opportunity to regain the lead for Edmonton, but after collecting a rebound and facing a seemingly open net, the second-year pro failed to get his shot on goal.

The Blues started the scoring at 4:12 of the first on the eighth goal of the season by 19-year-old David Perron. The rookie left wing corralled the rebound of defenseman Christian Backman's blue-line drive at the right edge of the crease and buried the puck in the open side of the net.

St. Louis starting netminder Manny Legace, who stopped all three shots he faced in the first, did not return for the second period. Legace was hit in the head by a puck during pregame warmups, yet played the first 20 minutes.

The Oilers needed just one chance - and 44 seconds - to tie the game against Legace's replacement. Gilbert fired a blast from the top of the right faceoff circle over the right pad of Toivonen and inside the goalpost.

Toivonen stopped 18 shots.