Laperriere Power
Winger's first two goals of season set stage for Avs' shootout victory
(from the Longmont Daily Times-Call)
By Brian Howell
Longmont Times-Call
November 8, 2007 - DENVER - There are a lot of great scorers on the Colorado Avalanche roster, but Ian Laperriere wouldn't be considered one of them.
On Wednesday night, however, the veteran winger looked like an offensive power threat. Laperriere scored two goals — his first two of the season — to help the Avalanche to a 4-3 shootout victory against the Edmonton Oilers at the Pepsi Center.
"I'm not a goal-scorer, but I know I can help my team in that regard," said Laperriere, who now has 109 goals in 872 NHL games.
Laperriere opened the scoring in the first period, and his second goal tied the game at 3 in the third period. After a scoreless overtime, Wojtek Wolski and Marek Svatos scored shootout goals, while goalie Peter Budaj allowed just one shootout goal for the Avs.
The win allowed Colorado to conclude its five-game homestand with eight points (4-1). The Avs improved to an NHL-best 8-1 at home this year Ottawa is also 8-1 at home.
"It was huge," Laperriere said of getting two points for the win. "Peter (Budaj) kept us in the game, and it could have went the other way. (Edmonton) could have taken the lead and run away with the two points, but we find a way to win and that's all that matters right now."
With 20 points (10-5), the Avalanche have tied Minnesota for the Northwest Division lead, and trail only Detroit (25 points) in the Western Conference.
To get the win Wednesday, though, they had to get past a scrappy Oilers squad.
"Edmonton is a young team; they can skate really well," Laperriere said. "They took it to us for, I'd say, half the game."
Five of the six goals scored in regulation came in the first period, with Edmonton taking a 3-2 lead after the first 20 minutes. Colorado had two leads in the first period, but quickly lost them both.
Laperriere scored at the 3:46 mark of the period, deflecting a shot from Jeff Finger into the net. Just over 4 minutes later, though, the Oilers tied the game with a one-timer from Kyle Brodziak.
Midway through the period, Colorado went up again, on a goal from Tyler Arnason. The Oilers needed just 34 seconds to tie the game on a goal by Dick Tarnstrom.
"Especially the way we did it," Laperriere said of the disappointment of giving up two leads. "We took the lead and all of a sudden they'd come back. You've got to give those kids credit. They've got a young team, but they've got character."
Ales Hemsky put Edmonton up, 3-2, 69 seconds after Tarnstrom's goal. But, after scoring three goals in 12 first-period shots, the Oilers were stopped by Budaj on their final 21 shots.
"I trust my players and I needed them to do the job, and they did," Budaj said. "It's a big win after not a great first period from me. I think we settled down after the first period. We just kept going."
Early in the third period, Laperriere came up with the equalizer. Arnason put a shot on net, and Laperriere charged the net and punched it in before crashing into Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson.
"I just went to the net, hit my shot, and it went in," said Laperriere, who also assisted on Arnason's goal. "I just go to the net, and they'll find me. Tonight, I was at the right place at the right time."
In the shootout, Wolski scored on Colorado's first attempt, but Ryan Smyth's shot was saved by Roloson and Joe Sakic hit the crossbar.
Budaj made a save on Sam Gagner, then forced a wide shot from Hemsky before Raffi Torres tied the shootout at 1.
In the sudden-death round, Svatos scored for Colorado, and Edmonton's Marty Reasoner hit the goalpost.
"I just tried to help my team win, and try to give my team a chance," Budaj said. "Thank God I was able to do it today. It's a big team win, because after they scored the third goal, our team was able to shut them down. That's a big point for us."
RICHARDSON REASSIGNED: Forward Brad Richardson, who has been out all season with a wrist injury he suffered in the offseason, has been cleared to play.
Richardson was reassigned to Colorado's American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, based out of Cleveland.
A year ago, Richardson had 14 goals and 22 points in 73 games for the Avs. The 22-year-old from Belleville, Ontario, has played 114 games the past two years for Colorado.
SLAPSHOTS: Wolski played in his 100th NHL game Wednesday. ... Smyth played 12 seasons with Edmonton, and ranks fifth in games played (770) and goals scored (265) in Oilers' history. ... Sakic had an eight-game scoring streak snapped. ... The Avalanche improved to 7-0 when scoring first. ... Colorado is 6-2 against its Northwest Division foes. ... Colorado went 0-for-4 on the power-play, while Edmonton went 1-for-4. ... Roloson had 35 saves, and Budaj had 30. ... Andrew Brunette had two assists for Colorado, and Arnason finished with a goal and an assist. ... The Avalanche play Friday at Vancouver and then host Minnesota on Sunday.