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Sunday, Nov. 5 7:00pm ET
Oilers win fourth straight | |||||
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- To hear Doug Weight tell it, he didn't have much to do with Edmonton's 4-2 victory over Columbus on Sunday night. The 10-year veteran assisted on all four goals -- two apiece by Ryan Smyth and Bill Guerin -- as the Oilers ran their winning streak to four and stopped Columbus' meager two-game home winning streak. "They made my job very easy today," Weight said of Smyth and Guerin. "They have a nose for finding the net." Weight's four assists tied a career best. Tom Poti added two assists for the Oilers as they started a five-game road trip. "Weight was unbelievable tonight. He ended up with four assists and could have ended up with a lot more," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "He just had it on a string tonight and was dishing it around unselfishly." Tommy Salo turned away 27 shots for Edmonton, which had lost its last two road games. "What makes a great team is timely goals and timely goalkeeping and we got both tonight," Weight said. Smyth's two second-period goals, giving him eight for the season, broke a 1-1 tie. "Being at the right place at the right time, sometimes that's critical," Smyth said. "I can't say enough about Dougie and Billy. They create a lot of ice out there for me and I just go out there and jam at the net." Smyth's first goal was set up by Poti's blistering wrister from the right wing. Columbus goaltender Ron Tugnutt deflected Poti's shot, but Smyth was there to tap in the rebound. Again with a man advantage, the Oilers made it 3-1 at 17:29 of the third by following a similar format. Weight's left-handed shot from the near the boards on the right side was stopped by Tugnutt, but Smyth punched the rebound under Tugnutt's leg. Columbus made it interesting a minute into the final period when Geoff Sanderson fired a bullet that beat Salo on the stick side, cutting the lead to 3-2. It was Sanderson's fourth goal of the season, and gave him goals in three of the last four games. But Edmonton continued to have all the answers, preventing Columbus from scoring on six power-play opportunities -- including a 5-on-3 -- while finding the net on three of their eight chances with a man advantage. "There were a couple of points where they took steam from us, like they way they killed off the penalties," Sanderson said. Guerin ended the suspense with an empty-net goal in the final minute. Guerin has 10 goals for the season. "The line has been working well since the start of the season," he said. "We just think of it as doing our part. We go out and work hard every night, but some nights it goes better than others." Columbus, which had scored first in all three of its wins, tallied first when Kevyn Adams sliced through the crease and backhanded a shot that Kevin Dineen directed past Salo. It was the Blue Jackets' first shot of the night. The Oilers pulled even late in the period when Guerin scored on a power play. Tugnutt stopped Janne Niinimaa's slapshot from the blueline, but Guerin was there to jam in the rebound. Columbus had won its last two games at Nationwide Arena, beating Washington 3-1 and Los Angeles 4-1. The Edmonton game was the first of four in a row at home for the Blue Jackets. Game notesColumbus RW Bruce Gardiner was scratched with a bruised hip. He is listed as day to day. ... The game marked the first appearance by a Canadian team at Nationwide Arena, but the Canadian National Anthem was not sung. Two microphones failed to work for the anthem singer and after a delay, a recorded version of the Star Spangled Banner was played. ... Edmonton's Igor Ulanov was hit in the neck by Petteri Nummelin's slapshot midway through the second period. Leveled immediately, he was helped off the ice and examined by medical personnel. He returned for the third period -- and was decked again -- but assisted on Guerin's empty-netter. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Edmonton Clubhouse Columbus Clubhouse RECAPS Los Angeles 4 NY Islanders 1
Edmonton 4
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