Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Ryan Getzlaf's two goals and Chris Pronger's
three assists helped the Anaheim Ducks defeat the Edmonton Oilers, 6-2, at the
Honda Center.
It was Pronger's first game against his old Edmonton squad, which he led to
the Stanley Cup finals back in June, but his teammates managed to steal the
limelight. Travis Moen scored his first two goals of the season, tough guy
Todd Fedoruk registered two points, while Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 29
shots, including several point-blank chances for Anaheim, which has won its
last four games.
"These conference games have extra meaning and they're the team that
eliminated us last year," said Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle. "So all those
factors bring people to a different level and that's part of the emotions in
sports."
Dwayne Roloson struggled in net picking up the loss by stopping just 14 of 20
shots and Jarret Stoll scored twice for the Oilers, who had a three-game
winning streak stopped.
"Anytime you lose a game you've got to learn some lessons along the way," said
Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish. "I thought we competed well, I didn't think we
got dominated."
Edmonton managed to break through at 7:28 of the opening period. Ducks
defenseman Francois Beauchemin took a hit, which disrupted his clearing
attempt enough to be picked off by Raffi Torres took a stride towards the goal
line, and hit Stoll in stride up the slot. Stoll skated in and stuck a
snapshot along the ice, off the post behind Giguere for a 1-0 lead.
Just 57 seconds later, Anaheim responded. Pronger carried the puck into the
Edmonton zone, and slipped a pass to Samuel Pahlsson, who tried to sneak a
shot through a mass of people gathered around the Oiler net. The disk skidded
through the tangle of bodies and a fallen Roloson right to Travis Moen,
stationed to the left of the crease. The burly winger gathered the rebound,
turned toward the wide open net, and slammed it in for his first of the year.
Just 1:34 into the second, the Ducks took a 2-1 lead. Seconds after a power
play expired, Pronger held the puck at the point, and sent a quick pass to
Teemu Selanne, lurking along the left boards. Selanne glided in, then sent a
weak shot towards the goal. The puck ticked off two bodies in the crease,
right to Scott Niedermayer, who backhanded it under a prone Roloson.
At the four minute mark, the lead stretched to 3-1. Fedoruk won a battle near
the Edmonton blue line, and sent a short feed to Getzlaf. The young winger
skated up the left side with an Oiler forward draped all over his back, but he
summoned enough strength to break free and wrist a laser shot high to the
short side.
Edmonton cut the lead to one on the power play at 7:07. Ales Hemsky held the
puck near the top of the right circle, and after a split-second delay, whipped
a cross-ice pass to Stoll waiting near the left face-off dot. Stoll collected
his second of the night when he unloaded a cannon-like slap shot from 30 feet
that beat Giguere before he could get across to cover.
Anaheim went back up by two with 4:54 left in the second. Ducks center
Todd Marchant picked up a loose puck in his own zone, and skated up the middle
on a 2-on-2 break with fellow center Ryan Shannon. Marchant gave up the
puck a stride over the Edmonton blue line to a streaking Shannon, who
unleashed a blistering shot from the edge of the right circle through
Roloson's five-hole.
Getzlaf would get his second of the night and fourth of the year halfway into
the final stanza, putting Anaheim up 5-2. First, Corey Perry's shot from a
scrum in the slot was turned aside by Roloson. Getzlaf then poked the rebound
attempt toward the goal, but it was blocked before it reached the crease. He
then spun around, picked up his own rebound, and while facing the net behind
the goal, managed to bank a shot off Roloson's back and into the net.
Moen closed out the scoring when he tipped home a soft wrister off the stick
of Pahlsson with 6:40 left.
