The New Jersey Devils haven't played at Rexall Place in Edmonton for six years, yet picked up where they left off on Friday night.
Winger Brian Gionta scored the game-winning goal early in the third period to lift the Devils to a 3-1 victory over the Oilers.
Devils forward Jamie Langenbrunner, left, runs into Oilers centre Sam Gagner in the first period Friday night at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
(Jimmy Jeong/Canadian Press)
Gionta and linemate Patrik Elias scored 35 seconds apart in the final 20 minutes to rally the Devils from a one-goal deficit.
Gionta and Elias finished with a goal and an assist each, while John Madden added an empty-net goal. Goaltender Martin Brodeur was outstanding in victory, backstopping the Devils with 20 saves.
Defenceman Joni Pitkanen scored Edmonton's lone goal. Oilers netminder Mathieu Garon was terrific in defeat, making 31 saves.
"We just gave that game away. We literally gave it away," said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. "It was Christmastime and we wrapped it up and gave it to them. We didn't compete hard enough in the second period to get the game.
"You string a team along and let them stay in the game and bad things happen and that's exactly what we did tonight. I thought we should have put them away in the first."
New Jersey (19-13-3) has won only three in its past seven outings, following a nine-game winning streak, but continued a stranglehold on the Oilers.
The Devils haven't lost at Edmonton's Rexall Place for 12 years, with their last visit resulting in a 2-1 victory on Dec. 20, 2001. New Jersey is now 5-0-0 with one tie in its last six visits. The team's last loss in Edmonton was on Oct. 31, 1995.
"It's frustrating," said Edmonton forward Fernando Pisani. "We had good control of the game and then a couple mental mistakes leaving guys in front all alone and the next thing you know we are down 2-1. These are games that we need to reel in and establish ourselves from the outset."
The Oilers (16-17-3) have earned at least one point in eight of their previous 10 games, but drop under .500 and remain in the basement of the Northwest Division.
"It was a bitter pill for me to swallow after watching that game," said MacTavish. "We had fought our way back to .500 and had an opportunity to dig ourselves out of a poor start. The couple goals in the third were a lack of execution but our undoing was a lack of will. That's the troubling part.
"We have to get that determination back that we showed in the last five or six games. It was disappointing."
The first period featured a scrap between Edmonton winger Zachery Stortini and Devils forward Aaron Asham, who exchanged big blows before officials stepped in to break up the tilt.
The Oilers then got on the board first at 15:15 of the opening period. Brodeur stopped a streaking Ales Hemsky, who broke in on the right side. Pitkanen pinched in on the play and lifted a shot over the New Jersey goaltender.
New Jersey nets 2 in seconds
After a scoreless second period, the Devils began the third by taking the play to Edmonton. Garon was spectacular in the first five minutes, with several key stops, including two from point-blank range to rob winger David Clarkson.
But Edmonton couldn't hold off New Jersey, which scored two goals within seconds to take a 2-1 lead.
After the Devils won the draw, Gionta fed a cross-ice pass to Elias and the New Jersey winger made no mistake beating Garon at the 5:00 mark.
Gionta put New Jersey in front moments later as he converted a rebound into the open side of the net with the Devils on the power play. Brodeur kept the Devils ahead by making 11 saves in the third period, including a sparkling stop off a slapshot by Edmonton defenceman Sheldon Souray in the final minute.
Madden put the finishing touches on the New Jersey win by sending a shot into the empty net with 29 seconds to go.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
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