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  Wednesday, Mar. 22 9:00pm ET
Oilers flirting with top-3 Western seed
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Kevin Lowe got his message across to the Edmonton Oilers.

Three nights after the Edmonton coach criticized his team's effort in a loss to Calgary, the Flames rebounded to beat Anaheim 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Kevin Haller, Chad Kilger
Anaheim's Kevin Haller didn't want Edmonton's Chad Kilger getting anywhere near the Mighty Ducks goal.
"I think the vigor and the grit weren't there against Calgary -- and Kevin didn't either," said captain Doug Weight, who had a goal and an assist to against Anaheim to help the Oilers move into a first-place tie with Colorado in the Northwest Division.

"I think as a team we really took that to heart. Calgary was a downer because we knew how Kevin felt. We were down on ourselves.

"The loss to Calgary really hurt and I think this team wanted to show the coaching staff that we're here to play and to make it into the playoffs."

Weight scored his 17th goal of the season with three minutes left in the second period, slamming a rebound into an open side on a power-play.

"He came out of the gate skating well, making plays and wanting the puck," Lowe said about Weight. "He really got everything going. He wants to be the go-to guy."

The Mighty Ducks, who entered the game with a three-game winning streak, are ninth in the Western Conference. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.

"We're in the race and we've got some big games coming up," said Anaheim coach Craig Hartsburg, whose club didn't arrive at its Edmonton hotel until 4:30 a.m. after winning in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. "Our team wasn't quite as sharp as we were last night."

Tom Poti opened the scoring for Oilers on a power play midway through the first period. His shot bounced off Anaheim defenseman Kevin Haller and between goalie Guy Hebert's legs.

Ed Ward tied it less than five minutes later, banging a rebound between Tommy Salo's legs after Anaheim center Antti Aalto took a quick shot after winning a faceoff deep.

Salo stopped Mighty Ducks star Paul Kariya on a short-handed breakaway early in the second with the game tied 1-1.

Edmonton forward Mike Grier had reconstructive surgery Wednesday to repair a torn triceps muscle in his left arm.
 


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RECAPS
St. Louis 2
Carolina 1

Montreal 1
Atlanta 1

Calgary 2
Detroit 2

NY Islanders 5
Toronto 2

Edmonton 2
Anaheim 1

San Jose 4
Vancouver 3

AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Doug Weight puts in a rebound for an Oilers goal.
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