Recap: New Jersey vs. Edmonton
Sports Network | November 09, 2008
Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers stopped 37-of-38 shots, and the Edmonton Oilers edged the New Jersey Devils, 2-1.
Ales Hemsky had a goal and an assist, and Sheldon Souray scored the other goal for the Oilers, who halted a two-game slide. Lubomir Visnovsky had two assists, and Drouin-Deslauriers picked up an assist on the eventual game- winner.
"I thought he played very well," said Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish of his goaltender. "He faced 37 or 38 shots and just looked solid, there were lots of point shots and he was just in the right spot. He didn't look at all nervous and looked very composed. He made a lot of big saves."
Zach Parise scored the lone goal for the Devils, who have dropped two in a row and three of four. Scott Clemmensen surrendered both goals on 28 shots for New Jersey. Clemmensen played in place of Kevin Weekes, who was thrust into the No. 1 position when franchise goaltender Martin Brodeur suffered a torn distal biceps in his left elbow. Brodeur had surgery on Thursday and is expected to miss 3-to-4 months.
Souray put the Oilers in front with his fifth goal of the season, at 7:19 of the second period. A turnover in the Edmonton zone fueled an odd-man rush, and Souray took the feed from Hemsky as he skated into the left side of the New Jersey zone. Souray flipped a weak shot on net that slipped through Clemmensen's legs, and Edmonton took a 1-0 edge.
Hemsky gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead with a spectacular individual effort on the power play later in the second. Skating practically from coast-to-coast, Hemsky deked through two Devils defenders before tipping the puck past Clemmensen at 13:49.
Parise's wrister was the only shot to beat Drouin-Deslauriers on the night, and it cut the Edmonton lead in half 3:50 into the third period. The Devils had several good chances down the stretch to tie the game, but a hooking penalty on Jamie Langenbrunner at 18:42 of the third put the Oilers on the power play for the remainder of the game.
New Jersey could not mount a decent shorthanded attack in the final 1:18, and the Oilers hung on for the win.
"The effort was there," said Parise. "We're just not converting on our chances. We have two goals the past two games. We need to put some in the net."
The Oilers are 3-3 so far on a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season. They travel to New York for a game against the Rangers on Monday before returning home on Thursday to host Toronto...Parise has 11 goals this season to lead New Jersey -- seven more tallies than the team's second-leading goal scorer, Patrik Elias...New Jersey had taken three straight from the Oilers, including the last two in the Garden State.
