Oilers 5 Ducks 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. — While the Anaheim Ducks were pelting Dwayne Roloson with a club-record 54 shots, the Edmonton Oilers made do with just 20.
Scoring on their first two shots in the opening 1:48, the Oilers added goals nine seconds apart in the second period on the way to a 5-3 victory Friday night that vaulted them over Anaheim in the battle for the playoff berths in the Western Conference.
Edmonton moved into seventh place in the West with 81 points. Anaheim and Nashville are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with 80.
“Every game is like a playoff game for us now,” Roloson said. “You just try to focus on every game from here on. It doesn’t matter who we play.
“Our guys were out there blocking shots, doing everything. Our ‘D’ did an awesome job of clearing out the rebounds.”
There were many of those. The Ducks’ shots were a regular-season high for them. They outshot Edmonton 24-3 in the third period, but Roloson made a series of fine saves. There were 15 other shots that Roloson’s teammates blocked in front of him.
“It was just unbelievable goaltending,” Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. “That save on (Chris) Pronger was just incredible. Prongs came in and waxed one from the top of the circle and Rollie just got it.”
The game was intense, with a playoff-type atmosphere, a lot of hitting and a series of scuffles.
“It was surreal out there,” MacTavish said.
Dustin Penner scored twice against his former Anaheim teammates.
“I’m sure we gave everyone their money’s worth with a very exciting game,” said Penner, who helped Anaheim win a Stanley Cup in 2007. “There was a lot of intensity out there, a lot of focus.”
Penner scored 1:11 in, then Fernando Pisani beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere again 37 seconds later, leading to Giguere being pulled for the first of two times.
After Ryan Getzlaf scored on a power play for the second of his two goals to draw Anaheim even at 2-2, Penner got his second of the night on a power play at 2:40 of the second period and Kyle Brodziak sailed a 35-footer past Giguere at 2:49 for a 4-2 lead. Jonas Hiller then replaced Giguere for the second and final time.
Corey Perry scored at 3:25 of the third period to narrow the gap to 4-3 before Edmonton’s Ales Kotalik added an empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining.
Giguere gave up four goals on seven shots in his 22 minutes 44 seconds on the ice. Hiller stopped all 12 shots he faced.
“I’m not going to beat myself up about it,” Giguere said.
“I’m going to go home, and tomorrow’s going to be a new day. The guys did everything they could. I’m sure we would have liked to have a better start. After the first two minutes, I thought we controlled the game. But Rollie really kept them in it.
“We’re still right in the hunt. We’re still in eighth place, so every game is a must-win from here on. And if we put this type of effort out on the ice every day, I’m not worried about it. I know we have the character, the talent and the leadership to go and do it.”