Boom Boom Laperriere
Against Oilers, Colorado checker scores like Geoffrion character he played in Richard movie
(from the Edmonton Journal)
By Jim Matheson
The Edmonton Journal
November 8, 2007 - EDMONTON - Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish got the required response from his beleaguered team Wednesday after ripping into the players during a stern lecture the day before.
MacTavish's message was to quit with the woe-is-me-we've-got-a-lot-of-injuries attitude and show some heart, and the Oilers did just that in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
After three shootout wins in three tries, the odds caught up to the Oilers against the Avalanche when Marek Svatos flipped the puck over goalie Dwayne Roloson's glove and Marty Reasoner banged his shot off the post on the last Edmonton attempt at the Pepsi Center.
The Oilers didn't get a win when they sorely needed one, dropping their record against Northwest Division teams to 1-7. But they hung tough in a thrilling, offensively charged game.
Edmonton was in the lead until Ian Laperriere got his second goal of the night early in the third period, redirecting Tyler Arnason's shot under Roloson as he tumbled on top of the goalie to send the game to OT.
Laperriere only has two two-goal outings in his last 96 games, both against the Oilers. His previous outburst was on March 21, the last time he'd scored a goal.
The Avalanche poured 27 shots at Roloson (nine on the power play) through the first 40 minutes, but the Oilers gamely led 3-2 going into the third period until Laperriere tied it with his third point of the night.
For this one game, Laperriere, who played Boom Boom Geoffrion in the Maurice Richard movie, actually looked like a scorer, not a fighter.
The Oilers scored three goals on Colorado netminder Peter Budaj in the first period. The last time they scored three times in a period was in the final 20 minutes of the second game of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Defenceman Dick Tarnstrom, who's been in coach MacTavish's doghouse for a while, tipped fellow blue-liner Tom Gilbert's shot on a screened 30-footer off the goalpost and behind Budaj.
Sixty-eight seconds later, Ales Hemsky undressed Kurt Sauer, slipping the puck through his feet on a rush before blowing one by the Avs goalie. Not quite as pretty as his highlight reel, dipsy-doodle on Ryan Suter in the Nashville game last week, but proof again that Hemsky is one of the few NHLers who can beat players one-on-one.
The other Oilers goal came from Kyle Brodziak off a wonderful goalmouth feed from Andrew Cogliano -- Brodziak's first goal since Oct. 18 in Phoenix.
Laperriere, who only had three points in Colorado's first 14 games, got three points in the first 43 minutes Wednesday. He tipped Jeff Finger's long shot for the game's first goal. It was the 11th time in 16 games the Oilers have allowed the other team to score first.
Laperriere later set up Arnason's goalmouth tap-in. Another big game from Arnason, who treats the Oilers like his personal pinata. He has 23 points in 21 career games against them, including four in the first two games this year. He only has 76 career goals but 10 have come against Edmonton.
ON THE BENCH: MacTavish went with five defenceman, except for one shift for Bryan Young, and basically nine forwards with Sam Gagner, who was minus-two in four shifts in the first period, Geoff Sanderson and Zack Stortini getting spot duty.
jmatheson@thejournal.canwest.com