Oilers hand Blues another home loss, win 3-2 in OT

ST. LOUIS -- Dustin Penner was in the right place at the right time for the Edmonton Oilers.

Penner's second goal of the game, a power-play goal with 17.8 seconds to play in overtime helped the Oilers snap a six-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.

Penner scored off the rebound of Jarret Stoll's shot from the point, beating Blues goalie Hannu Toivonen with a spin-around goal on a 4-on-3 man-advantage.The Oilers also got a goal from Tom Gilbert, while David Perron and David Backes scored for St. Louis.

The Oilers had lost their previous six games by two goals or less and felt like they were due to break through sooner or later.

The loss extended St. Louis' home losing streak to four games (0-2-2). The Blues were 0-for-7 on the power play and missed out on several quality scoring chances throughout the game.

Penner gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead 5:18 into the final period as he split Blues defensemen Matt Walker and Eric Brewer and slid the puck past Toivonen's outstretched right pad.

Backes tied the score at 2-2 when he took a backhand feed from Jamal Mayers and beat Mathieu Garon with a shot over the goalie's stick from the low slot at 11:04.

Perron scored the lone goal of the first period when he knocked home a puck in the crease after Garon misplayed Christian Backman's wrist shot from the right point. Garon seemed to glove Backman's shot, but the puck lay in the crease and Perron netted his eighth of the season. St. Louis outshot Edmonton 10-3 in the period.

The Oilers tied the game at 1 when Gilbert notched his seventh of the season just 44 seconds into the second period on a slap shot from the top of the right circle that just went over Toivonen's glove hand.

The Blues had a pair of breakaways in the second and were thwarted on both chances.

Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk had the first chance to put St. Louis ahead, but Kariya's redirection near the right post was deflected away by Oilers defenseman Joni Pitkanen.

Then late in the second period, Brad Boyes fired his shot wide of the right post near the end of a power play.

"You lose the game and you look back at those missed opportunities," Murray said.

Notes: Blues G Manny Legace was removed from the game following

the first period. He felt sick and was also hit on the back of the head with a puck during pregame warm-ups. ... Perron's goal in the first period snapped a home goalless streak of 138:42 for the Blues dating back to Dec. 23, against Atlanta. ... After starting the season 10-3 on home ice, the Blues are now 1-4-3 in their last eight home games. ... The Oilers were 0-4-2 in their previous six games. ... The two teams will meet for the fourth and final time this season in Edmonton on March 11.