NHL Roundup : Oilers Overcome Flames, 5-3, and Take Division Lead

The Edmonton Oilers, rebounding from a 3-0 deficit four minutes into the game, beat Calgary, 5-3, Wednesday night at Edmonton to move past the Flames and take over first place in the Smythe Division.

The victory gave Edmonton a 3-1-1 record against Calgary this season. It also gave the Oilers 59 points, one more than the Flames.

John Tonelli, Al MacInnis and Tim Hunter scored on the Flames’ first five shots. But the Oilers got a power-play goal late in the period and then scored three times in the second.

Edmonton held its one-goal margin heading into the third period, in which the Oilers are 22-2-1 with the lead. After surviving the first-period lapse, the Oilers got by a furious third-period start by the Flames and then, with Grant Fuhr spectacular in goal, played tight defense to preserve the victory.

Chicago 2, Hartford 1--Steve Thomas scored a power-play goal 2:53 into the third period at Chicago to give the Blackhawks the win and a 3-0-1 record in their last four games.

Chicago goalie Darren Pang stopped 30 shots, including a penalty shot by Dean Evason late in the third period.

Montreal 5, Boston 4--Mats Naslund and Claude Lemieux each had a goal and two assists as the Canadiens moved out to a 3-1 lead and snapped a four-game home winless streak to move into first place in the Adams Division.

The Canadiens have 56 points, one more than the Bruins.

Minnesota 3, Toronto 3--Mark Osborne had a goal and two assists, and Jeff Reese made 30 saves in his second National Hockey League game for Toronto at Bloomington, Minn.

All of Osborne’s points came in the second period, when the Maple Leafs overcame a 2-0 deficit.

It was the fourth straight overtime game between the teams this season. Two were ties, and Minnesota won once. Both are 0-3-3 in January.

Detroit 7, New York Rangers 4--Lee Norwood scored the tiebreaking goal and added two assists, and Jim Nill, playing his first game since being acquired from Winnipeg, had a goal and three assists to lead the Red Wings to their fourth straight victory. The win also was Detroit’s first at New York since 1981 and extended its unbeaten streak to 6-0-1.

The Rangers are 0-3-1 in their last four games.

Quebec 5, New Jersey 3--Quebec’s Peter Stastny scored two goals and set up another, and the Nordiques jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period at East Rutherford, N.J., as the Devils lost their fourth straight at home.

Vancouver 8, Winnipeg 2--Tony Tanti scored four goals and Petri Skriko two as the Canucks atoned for blowing a lead the previous evening by routing the Jets at Vancouver.

Tanti had a five-point game with an assist as the Canucks gained a split of the consecutive games with the Jets after Winnipeg won the first meeting, 5-3, with four consecutive goals in the third period.

Greg Adams and Doug Lidster scored the other Vancouver goals. Andrew McBain and Randy Carlyle scored power play goals for Winnipeg.

The victory was the Canucks’ third in their last four games but only their seventh in 21 home games.