• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cole leads second-period surge as Oilers drill Predators

Dec 29, 2008 - 4:54 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Erik Cole scored a goal and had two assists and Sam Gagner and defenseman Sheldon Souray each scored and set up a goal as the Edmonton Oilers used a key second-period surge to cruise past the Nashville Predators, 5-2, on Sunday.

Shawn Horcoff and Andrew Cogliano also scored and Dwayne Roloson made 28 saves as the Oilers extended their winning streak to three games.

"We played very well as a group," Cole said. "We did a good job capitalizing on our opportunities and we did a great job creating opportunities as well. We skated well and did a good job creating turnovers and then jumping on them and turning (those opportunities) into offense."

Martin Erat and defenseman Shea Weber each netted goals for Nashville, which has alternated wins and losses over its last six contests following a three-game losing skid.

Cole snapped a 2-2 tie with his fifth goal of the season with 9:10 remaining in the second and Cogliano followed 40 seconds later to double the lead.

"I've always said that if you are getting opportunities to score that is the most important part," Cole said. "It's when you aren't getting the chances that you know something isn't going right out there. As long as the opportunities are there, you are doing the right things to give yourself a chance to be successful."

Gagner then capped the rally 96 seconds after Cogliano's tally, deflecting Cole's attempt while positioned in front of the net.

"It was a good game," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "There were a lot of things about tonight that were the things we anticipated seeing at the beginning of the year. There was lots of skill, lots of puck movement. We only got the one goal on the power play but we were very effective on it. It was one of our better efforts of the year."

Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky was also credited with the assist, earning his 300th NHL career point.

Erat opened the scoring 5:41 into the first, but Souray and Horcoff netted goals in a five-minute span.

Weber, who is tied with New York Islanders veteran Mark Streit for second among NHL defenseman in points, registered his 27th point to forge a 2-2 tie by beating Roloson 35 seconds after Horcoff tallied.

"We started off really well," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "We knew there was a lot of emphasis on this game from the Edmonton standpoint and I thought we started really well. We got the first goal, they came back and got it tied up and took the lead and we responded.

"I felt really good tied up at the end of the first period 2-2, and I thought the second period started pretty well. We started to build momentum, and a couple of things happened."

Nashville's Dan Ellis stopped 13 of the 17 shots he faced and was relieved midway through the second by rookie Pekka Rinne, who made 15 saves.

"We didn't get quite as many pucks on goal that we would have liked to," Ellis said. "Pucks were bouncing all over the place. They were able to get a couple of fluky bounces which gave them momentum and we couldn't get back."