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Penner's tip-in late gives Edmonton win over Colorado

Sun 12th, October 2008

Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Dustin Penner's tip-in with 5.4 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 season-opening win over the Colorado Avalanche at Rexall Place.

Penner gave Edmonton the lead early in the third in a two-goal performance while Shawn Horcoff notched a first period power-play tally for the Oilers, who got stellar goaltending from Mathieu Garon. The netminder was brilliant in stopping all but two of Colorado's 33 shots.

Joe Sakic lit the lamp in the second and Milan Hejduk tied the game midway through the third on a penalty shot for Colorado, which saw Peter Budaj take the loss in facing 19 shots.

Penner helped Edmonton regain the lead 5:57 into the final stanza, but midway through the period, officials ruled that Steve Staios covered up the puck with his glove in the crease after a scrum in front. Hejduk was awarded a penalty shot, and he broke in on Garon and beat him high and to the stick side to tie the game 2-2 with 10 minutes to play in the third.

Then, in a final flurry to avoid overtime, the Oilers launched several shots toward Budaj. A Sheldon Souray offering from the left point was blocked by an Avs defender, but Ethan Moreau gloved the puck down to the ice and fired a quick shot toward Budaj that Penner screened off and redirected for the game- winner.

With Paul Stastny off for high-sticking, Horcoff tallied on the power play off a pass from Ales Hemsky down low inside the right circle to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead after one.

Garon survived a boisterous man-advantage from the Avs close to midway through the second and survived with help from the right post on a Ben Guite breakaway later in the period.

The Oilers' goaltender continued to stand on his head in the second period, making two stops on a 2-on-1 with Hejduk feeding Stastny in close. Garon stopped Stastny's shot and then Scott Hannan's follow-up attempt, but Sakic was there to put in the second rebound and tie the game 1-1 at the 11:15 mark.

Game Notes

Colorado won six of eight against the Oilers a year ago and have won 10 of the last 15 in the series...Colorado was 0-for-3 with the man-advantage while Edmonton was 1-for-3...Moreau finished with a pair of assists...Avs' defenseman Adam Foote played in his 1,000th career game while Oilers blueliner Lubomir Visnovsky skated in his 500th game...Sakic has 98 points in 84 career games against Edmonton...Penner now has 101 points in 184 career games.