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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – Rick DiPietro had some anxious moments
waiting for time to run out on his first NHL victory.
DiPietro, the first goalie ever drafted No. 1, made 24 saves and
Roman Hamrlik had a goal and two assists as the New York Islanders
ended a six-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory Friday night over
the Edmonton Oilers.
The win wasn't sealed until Claude Lapointe scored into an empty
net with nine seconds left.
"Those were some really long minutes," said the 19-year-old
goalie, who won for the first time in his seventh career game. "I
was just praying the clock would go down faster. It was nerve
wracking. I was just hoping we'd get the puck out of the zone.
"I'm more relieved than anything. It's a great feeling to get
those first two points under your belt. I hope I can move on from
here and be more successful."
Hamrlik, dealt to the Islanders by the Oilers last June, gave
New York a 1-0 lead at 13:28 of the second period on a power play.
He also set up Lapointe's winner at 13:19 of the third.
"It feels good when you score against your former team," the
defenseman said after his first game against the Oilers. "This was
the same game I play every night. You just have to go out there and
play your game."
Hamrlik attributed some of his recent offensive resurgence to a
coaching tip offered by Kevin Lowe, the former Oilers coach and
current Edmonton general manager.
"I learned one thing from Kevin Lowe," Hamrlik said. "He
always told me, `Hit the net, hit the net.' So I just tried to hit
the net."
He hit Mariusz Czerkawski with a crafty pass off the boards in
the third period. Czerkawski found Lapointe with a cross-ice feed
and Lapointe slid a shot into an open corner at 13:19 of the final
period to break a 2-2 tie.
Juraj Kolnik, with his first career goal, also scored for the
Islanders (15-35-5-3), who are tied with Tampa Bay at the bottom of
the league standings.
Dan Cleary and Ryan Smyth scored for the Oilers, who were
undefeated in their previous five home games (3-0-2-0).
"We didn't put in the effort that was necessary to win the
hockey game," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "It looked
like we saw a soft spot in the schedule and didn't want to put the
work in.
"I've seen it many times before, but at this time of the season
it's frustrating. We just have to bounce back."
The Oilers are eighth in the Western Conference, four points
behind Vancouver, the team they will play at home Saturday night.
Hamrlik opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 13:28 of
the second, beating backup goalie Dominic Roussel with a shot from
the point through a crowd of defenders.
Cleary pulled Edmonton even at 15:55 with his eighth, but
Kolnik, a 20-year-old rookie from Slovakia, restored the Islanders
lead at 18:37 with his first NHL goal.
Smyth made it 2-2 with his 22nd goal at 1:22 of the third,
beating DiPietro with a back-hand wraparound seconds after an
Oilers power play expired.
Game notes
The Oilers play six of their next seven games at home. The
lone road trip is a visit to Calgary on Feb. 24. ... The Oilers
were 0-for-7 on the power play. The Islanders were 1-for-6. ... New
York dealt its No. 3 goalie, Wade Flaherty, to Tampa Bay for a
conditional ninth-round draft choice. Flaherty became expendable
when DiPietro was recalled for the rest of the season, and veteran
John Vanbiesbrouck decided to stay with the Islanders.
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NHL Scoreboard
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