The Edmonton Oilers defeated a listless Colorado Avalanche team 4-1 on Friday night, dropping the Avs to 0-3 on their swing through Western Canada. The Oilers were led by center Sam Gagner, who scored his second and third goals of the season, and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who stopped 28 of the 29 shots that the Avs put on net.
The Avs also had no answer for Edmonton's duo of young stars, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Eberle's goal late in the second period put the Oilers up 3-1 on the night, and assisted on Gagner's second goal of the night, which put Edmonton up 4-1. Nugent-Hopkins, the number one overall pick in last year's draft, tallied his 18th and 19 assists of the season on Eberle's goal and Gagner's second score.
For the Avs, it was an uninspiring end to a disappointing road trip, one that saw the team outscored 13-3 against the Western Canadian teams. The Avs will be back in action on Tuesday Dec. 13, when they'll play the first game of a home and home vs. the San Jose Sharks, the second game of which will follow on Thursday Dec. 15.
For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Oilers blog Copper N' Blue