National Hockey League
Edmonton 2, Vancouver 0
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, March 18, 2016
Where: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Referees: Francis Charron, Tom Kowal
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Bryan Pancich
Attendance: 16839

EDMONTON, Alberta -- After losing eight of their previous nine games in their final season at Rexall Place, the Edmonton Oilers took another step toward repairing the damage by winning their second game in a row at home.

The Oilers dumped the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 on Friday, two days after upsetting the St. Louis Blues 6-4.

The Oilers came in on a high after scoring four power-play goals against the Blues and wanted to keep that momentum going as they head into the final five home games of the year.

The Canucks, having lost six of their previous nine, just wanted to get back on track before their season run out.

Edmonton ended up winning the war of wills.

The Canucks thought they opened the scoring 5:29 into the second period when Brendan Gaunce and Darnell Nurse crashed into goaltender Cam Talbot and the puck rolled over the line, but a video review wiped the scoreboard clean.

Edmonton opened the scoring at 11:10 when Jordan Eberle came down the left side all alone and put a shot through Jacob Markstrom's pads for his 22nd goal of the season. The right winger has two goals in his last three games after scoring just one in the previous 10.

Cam Talbot, who has one of the best save percentages in the NHL since the All Star break, stopped 40 shots for his second shutout in the last seven starts.

The win lifted Edmonton out of last place in the West. They are tied for second-last with a 29-38-7 record.

NOTES: The Oilers power play moved up from 27th in the NHL (16.2 percent) to 20th (17.6) on the strength of its four-goal performance Wednesday against St. Louis. ... Prior to recording two assists against St. Louis, Oilers RW Nail Yakupov had one point in his previous 13 games. ... The Canucks' lineup in Edmonton included seven rookies. ... The Canucks have more wins on the road this year (14) than they have at home (13). ... Edmonton played Vancouver twice in the first 73 games and will play them three times in the final nine contests. ... Canucks C Bo Horvat is a league-worst minus-33 this year. ... Friday was LW Zack Kassian's first game against Vancouver since the team traded him away last summer. ... Canucks winger Jannik Hansen, who's been out nine games with a rib injury, suffered a setback in practice and won't be back any earlier than the middle of next week.
Top Game Performances
 
Vancouver   Edmonton
N/A Points Jordan Eberle 1
N/A Goals Jordan Eberle 1
N/A Assists Connor McDavid 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jacob Markstrom .920 Save Percentage Cameron Talbot 1.000
Jacob Markstrom 23 Saves Cameron Talbot 40
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Vancouver 40 0 0-3 2-2 10 24
Edmonton 25 2 0-2 3-3 12 30
Upcoming Games
  • Edmonton will play their next game at home against Colorado. The Oilers have a W/L % of .464 after a win and .348 after a loss.
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Canucks have a W/L % of .321 after a win and .429 after a loss.