Oilers 1, Hurricanes 0 (OT)
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera scored the overtime winner on a rebound from his own scoring chance, giving Edmonton a 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.
Sekera took a wrist shot on Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, then streaked in to tuck the second chance between the netminder's pads.
Oilers goalie Cam Talbot made 29 saves for his first shutout as an Oiler. Ward made 26 stops.
For three periods, the teams played to a scoreless stalemate. Scoring chances were few and far between.
The Oilers, already shut out five times this season, managed just 22 shots on goal through three periods. The Hurricanes -- previously shut out three times -- had 27, but they had the best two scoring chances in regulation.
However, Carolina couldn't capitalize on either of those golden chances. In the first period, center Eric Staal's shot pinged off the crossbar behind Talbot. In the second period, defenseman Justin Faulk streaked off the point, picked up the puck, deked, had Talbot at his mercy, and sent a backhand wide.
The game also didn't pack a lot of physical punch. The Hurricanes took just two penalties, while the Oilers didn't take a penalty till late in the third period, when defenseman Brad Hunt went to box for a hook.
By staying out of the box for the majority of the game, the Oilers limited the threat of Faulk, who came into the game tied for the NHL lead in power-play goals with 12.
The Oilers had six shots in first period, none of which would be considered a dangerous scoring chance, then took almost five minutes into the second period to get shot No. 7. They finished the second period with just 14 attempts on Ward.
NOTES: The game was a rematch of the 2006 Stanley Cup final, which saw the Hurricanes beat the Oilers in seven games. In the decade since then, the Oilers have not qualified for the playoffs, while the Hurricanes have made the postseason just once. ... On Sunday, the Hurricanes recalled LW Brock McGinn from their AHL affiliate in Charlotte, N.C. ... The Oilers scratched D Mark Fayne, RW Iiro Pakarinen and LW Luke Gazdic. ... Carolina LW Phillip Di Giuseppe is out with an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes also scratched LW Chris Terry and D Michal Jordan.