Esa Tikkanen scored his second goal of the game 42 seconds into overtime, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to their third straight win, a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Pavel Bure had the puck at the right boards before passing to Tikkanen behind the Edmonton goal. Tikkanen skated to the left goalpost and flipped a backhander that hit Edmonton defenseman Bryan Marchment's skate before landing just inside the right post.
Vancouver goaltender Corey Hirsch stopped 35 shots and has made three straight starts since missing almost three weeks with a chest injury.
Boris Mironov and Jason Arnott each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers.
Todd Marchant scored his third goal of the season as the Oilers took a 4-3 edge with 2:38 left in the third period. Mike Grier stopped a clearing pass along the right boards and passed to Kevin Lowe, who took a slap shot from the point. Curtis Joseph stopped Lowe's offering but Marchant poked the rebound in with one hand.
Mike Ridley's third goal tied the score, 4-4, with 1:25 left in regulatiuon. Martin Gelinas had the puck in the right circle and passed to Ridley, who re-directed it past Joseph as he was diving in the slot.
Chris Joseph scored his first goal of the season to give the Canucks a 1-0 edge 4:28 into the game, but Mironov's second goal tied the score 2:22 later. Tikkanen scored his second of the season with 97 seconds left in the first stanza to give Vancouver a 2-1 edge.
Alexander Mogilny's fifth goal gave the Canucks a two-goal lead 8:12 into the second. Arnott's seventh goal, a power-play marker, closed Edmonton within 3-2 just 67 seconds later.
Andrei Kovalenko also scored his seventh, tying the score at
7:09 of the third. Arnott had the puck at the right boards and
passed to Kovalenko, who muscled past Tikkanen before sliding
the puck inside the left post.
Jon's 3 stars:
1. Esa Tikkanen
2. Jason Arnott
3. Bryan Marchment
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