Foote’s Goal in Overtime Lifts Colorado

This was anything but a regular game for the Colorado Avalanche.

While Steve Moore remained hospitalized, the Avalanche took the ice Wednesday night at Edmonton, Canada, and earned a 3-2 victory over the Oilers. And the key offense was supplied by an unlikely source, defenseman Adam Foote, who scored two goals -- including the one that won it 2:37 into overtime.

Foote scored two power-play goals, Joe Sakic had a goal and an assist, and Milan Hejduk and Paul Kariya each had two assists in Colorado’s first game since Moore was sucker punched Monday night by Vancouver’s Todd Bertuzzi.

“We knew he was watching,” Sakic said of his rookie teammate, out for the season as the result of his injuries, which include broken bones in his neck. “During the game, you play, you play to win and you put your focus on the game.”

With the Oilers serving a penalty for too many men on the ice, Foote put a backhander behind Ty Conklin to win it.

Vancouver 1, Minnesota 1 -- Geoff Sanderson scored with 4:17 left in his first game with the Canucks, rallying his new team to a tie at Vancouver, Canada.

Dan Cloutier made 20 saves and got some help when Filip Kuba hit the post with 1.7 seconds left in regulation as Vancouver salvaged a point in its first game without Bertuzzi.

Tampa Bay 4, Carolina 2 -- Dave Andreychuk and Ruslan Fedotenko scored in the opening three minutes and Dan Boyle had the tiebreaking goal to help the Lightning win at Raleigh, N.C.

Buffalo 6, Washington 0 -- Mike Grier had a goal and two assists against the team that traded him the day before, leading the Sabres at Washington.