ESPN Network:  ESPN.com |  NFL.com |  NBA.com |  NASCAR |  NHL.com |  WNBA.com |  ABCSports |  EXPN |  FANTASY |  INSIDER

NHL
Scores/Schedules
Standings
Statistics
Transactions
Injuries
Players
Message Board
NHL StatSearch
Minor Leagues

Clubhouses
Fantasy
  Player News
  Correspondents

Broadcast
  NHL TV Listings
  Video Highlights
  Audio Highlights

Sport Sections
MLB
  Scores
NFL
  Scores
College Football
  Scores
Golf Online
  Scores
Soccer
  Scores
Olympics
Tennis  |  U.S. Open
NBA
NHL
M College BB
Autos  |  NASCAR
Horse Racing
Soccernet.com
College Sports

  Friday, Oct. 6 9:00pm ET
Murray's goal the difference vs. Wings
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- The Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings played an April-type game in just the first week of the season.

Rem Murray scored the game-winner with 5:37 left in the third period to give Edmonton a 2-1 victory as the Oilers and Red Wings showed some exciting, midseason form.

Sean Brown
Edmonton's Sean Brown, left, stops Mathieu Dandenault in his own zone.

"It's nice to get the winner," said Murray, who broke a 1-1 tie when Mike Grier got his own rebound off goalie Chris Osgood and deflected the puck to his linemate. "Griersy was skating really well all night. He was barreling down the wing, and he got a shot.

"I had a wide open net."

The Oilers were playing their season opener, while the Red Wings were coming off a 4-3 come-from-behind victory the previous night in Calgary.

Detroit took a 1-0 lead at 7:32 of the first period when veteran forward Pat Verbeek jammed the puck past goalie Tommy Salo with the Red Wings on a power play.

Salo made several saves during a two-man Detroit advantage and just as Edmonton defenseman Sean Brown returned to the ice to end the initial minor, Verbeek scored.

"We felt that we were skating and playing hard enough to draw some penalties, but obviously, that wasn't the case," Detroit's Kris Draper said. "Not making any excuse -- the Oilers kept coming at us.

"It was their opener and we knew that they were going to keep coming at us. We had some good chances. Salo made some big saves. I thought it was an entertaining hockey game, but it just didn't go our way."

Salo kept the Oilers in the game with several splendid saves, many from point-blank range. He finished with 33 stops, including a sliding save with just seconds left in regulation.

"I was glad we came out with a win today -- it was important," Salo said. "Preseason is preseason. I was feeling good, and the team was playing good in front of me."

Edmonton tied it with 1:25 left in the second period on a power play. Oilers captain Doug Weight found winger Bill Guerin at the side of the net and Guerin beat Osgood with a quick shot.

"After we took the lead in the third period, Tommy didn't have much of a chance for a break," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish said. "He (Salo) played absolutely incredible to give us an opportunity to be in the game, first and foremost. But after we took the lead, he was spectacular.

"He was having one of those nights where he gave me a lot of confidence that he wouldn't be beat."

Detroit outshot Edmonton 34-29.

"It was a little weird," said Detroit's Boyd Devereaux, a former Oiler who was playing his first game in Edmonton as a visitor. "I thought we started off well and dominated the first period, but maybe let them gain a little momentum in the second.

"It was tight right to the end."

The Oilers looked shaky early, experiencing problems carrying the puck out of their own end. MacTavish called a timeout to settle his team down after the Red Wings thoroughly outplayed his squad.

"I was really nervous going into the game," said MacTavish, in his first game as a head coach. "We were a little sloppy early on, but we rectified that in the second period and got down to the things we do best, which is getting the puck in deep and taking the body."

Game notes
Detroit captain Steve Yzerman missed his second straight game after injuring his knee in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. ... Edmonton defenseman Eric Brewer left the game with a knee injury in the third period, and did not return. ... Gordie Howe was in attendance and congratulated former Red Wings teammate Bruce MacGregor, who just retired from the Oilers organization. MacGregor was Edmonton's executive vice president and assistant general manager.
 


ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard

Detroit Clubhouse

Edmonton Clubhouse


RECAPS
New Jersey 8
Montreal 4

Los Angeles 4
Washington 1

Vancouver 4
Florida 3

NY Islanders 3
Tampa Bay 3

Edmonton 2
Detroit 1

Anaheim 3
Minnesota 1

St. Louis 4
San Jose 1

Nashville 3
Pittsburgh 1

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Pat Verbeek slaps home the rebound.
avi: 956 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1