The Edmonton Oilers just ran out of time this season.
Fifty or sixty more games, provided all of them are against Detroit, and they might have a playoff shot.
The club continued its curious domination against the Red Wings Friday night, hanging on for a 3-2 shootout victory at Rexall Place.
These are the Oilers, though, which means they didn’t make it easy.
Leading 2-1 after two periods, the Oilers tried to win it by that score, falling into a shell that saw them outshot 17-3 in the final 20 minutes. Sure enough, on Detroit’s 17th shot, with .02 seconds left in regulation, Brian Rafalski sent it to overtime.
Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk, looking for his first ever NHL win after and 0-8-2 start, stopped Valterri Filppula in the shootout to finally clinch the W.
The Red Wings, battling for their playoff lives with the Calgary Flames, had a lot more to play for than Edmonton, but it didn’t show in the early going.
The Oilers, who trailed for all but six minutes of their four-game road swing, wasted little time in jumping in front at home.
Andrew Cogliano scored 57 seconds after the opening faceoff and then sent a great pass to Ryan Whitney at 4:58 to make it 2-0.
The Oilers had the visitors on their heels, outshooting the Wings 12-2 at one point, and the first line of Cogliano. Gilbert Brule and Dustin Penner led the way.
They’ve been pretty hot since Quinn put them together five games ago, posting 11 points on the four-game road trip and four more Friday night.
“We complement each other really well,” said Brule, who had two assists and the shootout winner. “I have the speed and (Penner) has the strength on the puck. To have Cogs in the middle with his speed. We have so much force coming to the net it’s amazing. We attack the net so hard it’s tough for teams to control us.”
Brule is really starting to bloom in a more prominent role with the Oilers. He has nine points in his last 11 games, the same number he had in Columbus his last year there (2007-08). It was enough to make the Blue Jackets finally give up on their first round pick. The Oilers, in a similar place with the maddeningly inconsistent Raffi Torres, decided to swap problems.
Two years later, it’s working out better for Edmonton.
“I’m starting to play a little more consistently,” said Brule. “That’s what the coach is looking for and that’s what I want to implement in my game, be consistent every game and help the team as much as I can If providing offence is one of those things then that’s what I want to do.
“I’m just playing with more confidence. I’m carrying the puck a lot more and I’m not just rushing my passes and trying to get rid of it. I’m controlling the play a little more and making smarter plays out there.”
A Robert Nilsson giveaway in Oilers territory set up the Detroit goal that brought the visitors back into the game 11:51 into the second period.
The points mean nothing, but it was a nice feeling just the same.
“It’s obviously a tough situation when we know we’re not in the playoffs, but we’re trying to find things to keep us motivated,” said Oilers defenceman Aaron Johnson. “Whether it’s playing spoiler or getting Dubie his first win. There’s reasons why we need to win.”
LATE HITS ... Mike Comrie was odd man out again, a healthy scratch for the third time in nine games. “We’ll be rotating,” said Quinn. “Some of our more veterans guys will have a night out.”
robert.tychkowski@sunmedia.ca
