Avalanche 3, Oilers 2
EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Colorado Avalanche tightened their grip on a playoff spot Saturday night by choking out the Edmonton Oilers.
The Avs, who came into the game with a two-point lead for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, increased it to four by shutting down the Oilers in a 3-2 victory at Rexall Place.
Defenseman Tyson Barrie had two goals and an assist as the Avs handed the struggling Oilers their fourth straight home loss.
Goaltender Calvin Pickard held the Oilers to one goal.
The Oilers had lost six of their last seven and 10 of their previous 13, so they were determined to steer the team back in the right direction. And they got off to a good start, scoring first on winger Taylor Hall's goal at 7:14. It was the first time in four games that the Oilers led.
It was short-lived, however, as the Oilers gave up an easy back-door tap-in to center John Mitchell just four minutes later.
It was 1-1 at the first intermission, but the Avs didn't wait long in the second to take the lead. Barrie, also alone at the back door after another Oilers breakdown in the defensive zone, scored another easy back door goal at 1:23.
The Oilers killed off a lengthy five-on-three power play late in the second period to escape with a 2-1 deficit at the second intermission.
But the Avs scored early in the third to give themselves a little insurance when Barrie scored his second of the game on a wrist shot through traffic. They needed it as Oilers winger Benoit Pouliot scored with 1:41 left to cut the lead to 3-2.
NOTES: Oilers D Nikita Nikitin was recalled from the AHL and played his first game with the since Dec. 27. He and D Andrew Ference are making a combined $7.75 million this season and have combined for 14 games played. ... Colorado winger Jarome Iginla had four goals in four games heading into Saturday's game and has 606 for his career. ... Avalanche G Semyon Varlamov has held his last three opponents to two goals each. ... The Oilers had been held to two or less in five of their previous seven games ... Despite Edmonton's dismal record, D Andrej Sekera has only been a minus player three times in the last 12 games. Oiler C Connor McDavid's longest scoring drought this season is two games and it's only happened twice. Oilers LW Taylor Hall has 23 points in 20 career games against the Avalanche His last hat trick came against Colorado in 2013.