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Horcoff continues hot streak as Oilers down Flames

Jan 14, 2008 - 5:37 AM By Guy Flaming PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Shawn Horcoff scored a first-period power-play goal and assisted on the eventual game-winning goal to lead the Edmonton Oilers to their season-high fourth straight win, a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

Horcoff, who has three goals and five assists in the last four games, put the Oilers on the board after his wrist shot beat goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff at 8:04 of the opening session.

"It was a pretty up-and-down game, pretty fast," Horcoff said. "It doesn't really matter who we play; we need wins and we need them now."

Ales Hemsky, who took the puck behind the net, found Jarret Stoll at the point. Stoll's blast missed the net but ricocheted to the side of the net where Horcoff tapped it into the net.

The goal extended the Oilers' streak of scoring at least one power-play goal to six consecutive games, matching their longest such streak since December 2005.

Edmonton struck again early in the second thanks to a highlight-reel performance from Hemsky. The Czech native carried the puck into the Calgary zone, went around defenseman Robyn Regehr and then bested Kiprusoff for the goal.

"It was an all-world play and we all saw the irony in the fact that (on the previous play) Regehr goes in and roughs him up after the whistle and, 15 seconds later, (the puck is) in the back of the net," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said.

"(Hemsky) was winning battles and he was on the right side of the puck all the time - not to mention that the skill part of it - which has been something to watch over the four games that he's played since he's been back. It's no coincidence that we've won them all."

Goaltender Mathieu Garon was bidding for his second shutout in three games before Daymond Langkow beat him with a wrist shot on a rebound off Jarome Iginla's shot on a 2-on-1 opportunity at 3:09 of the third.

"I think for the team (the four-game streak) is huge and we wanted to win as much as possible on this homestand," said Garon, who finished with 27 saves. "But we still have a big win to get on Tuesday (against the Los Angeles Kings)."

Kiprusoff stopped 29 shots for Calgary, which lost for just the second time in its last 10 road games.

"We look at the standings and see how tight the race is - and every team in our division won (tonight) except us," Flames coach Mike Keenan said. "So, as far as the division is concerned, we had a tough night."