Coming off another frustrating loss the same day they lost one of their top scorers to a season-ending injury, the last thing the Edmonton Oilers likely want to do is hit the road.

The Oilers hope to avoid a fifth consecutive road loss when they open a season-high, six-game trip Saturday night against the surging Vancouver Canucks.

Ahead by a goal in the final two minutes, Edmonton (10-12-4) lost 5-4 in a shootout against San Jose on Friday to conclude a 2-2-1 homestand. The Oilers have four wins in their last 17 games.

Friday’s loss came hours after the team learned second-leading scorer Ales Hemsky will have season-ending surgery to repair his left shoulder. Already dealing with shoulder problems, Hemsky was injured Wednesday night in a 3-1 loss to Los Angeles. He had seven goals and 15 assists in 22 games.

“Obviously, when you lose a player with the stature of Ales Hemsky it’s difficult, but there is nothing we can do,” general manager Steve Tambellini said.

The Oilers appeared in good shape to win Friday despite Hemsky’s absence.

Ryan Potulny had two goals while Dustin Penner and Gilbert Brule each added a goal with an assist, but San Jose’s Patrick Marleau tied the game with 1:26 left in regulation. Edmonton missed all three attempts in the shootout.

“There is no way we should have lost this hockey game,” Oilers coach Pat Quinn said. “We did some really good things, but what has been our problem here from day one is we don’t cover well against our net. We have a group that stares at the puck and doesn’t recognize danger.”

Though Potulny has scored three of his five goals in the last two games, and Penner’s recorded five points in his last four, Edmonton hits the road where it’s 2-7-2. The Oilers are 0-2-2 away from home since winning 5-3 at Colorado on Nov. 8.

While the Oilers are 1-1 against the Canucks (13-11-0) this season, they lost 2-0 at Vancouver on Oct. 25.

Henrik Sedin scored a goal in that contest and had one with an assist in Vancouver’s 4-1 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday.

VANCOUVER EDMONTON 

L1: Daniel/Henrik/Burrows L1: Penner/Gagner/Brule 

L2: Raymond/Kesler/Samuelsson L2: Jacques/Horcoff/O’Sullivan 

L3: Hansen/Wellwood/Bernier L3: Moreau/Potulny/Cogliano 

L4: Glass/Johnson/Rypien L4: MacDonald/O’Marra/Stortini 

D1: Mitchell/Bieksa D1: Souray/Staios 

D2: Edler/Salo D2: Smid/Visnovsky 

D3: Erhoff/Schneider D3: Strudwick/Gilbert 

G: Luongo G: Deslauriers 

NOTES: Rypien (upper body) is a game time decision, if he can’t go then Hordichuk is in. Glass would move up to the third line and Hansen would fall to the fourth. 

Kyle Wellwood and Alex Burrows also added a goal and assist each as the Canucks won for the third time in four games since losing three in a row.

Vancouver has outscored its opponents 17-6 in its last four games, which included a 1-0 loss to Chicago on Sunday.

“We’ve got to get on a roll and start feeling good about ourselves,” forward Ryan Johnson told the Canucks’ official Web site.

Sedin, who has a team-leading 14 goals and five in his last four games, has just one goal but 11 assists in his last 15 games versus the Oilers.

Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo made 31 saves Thursday to improve to 9-8-0 with a 2.45 goals-against average this season. He’s 13-7-2 with one tie and a 2.30 GAA against the Oilers.

Edmonton’s Jeff Deslauriers made 27 saves against San Jose and could make his sixth straight start in place of Nikolai Khabibulin, who’s day-to-day with a sore back.

Deslauriers, 3-3-2 with a 2.58 GAA, made 27 saves in the October loss to Vancouver in his only appearance against the Canucks.

Rested Canucks host suddenly struggling AvsLa Liga round-up

The Ottawa Senators will have Erik Karlsson back in its lineup on Saturday night against the Boston Bruins.

Karlsson, the club’s first-round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, was sent down to AHL Binghamton in October after playing in nine games with the Senators. On Friday, head coach Cory Clouston confirmed that Karlsson will be in the lineup at Boston, saying that the young defenceman has improved his game down in the minors.

“He’s played well. He’s helped that team turn things around,” said Clouston. “One aspect that we wanted him to work on was his physical play. He’s really balanced his game out.”

To make room for Karlsson on the roster, the club has sent defenceman Brian Lee back down to Binghamton. In 13 games with the Senators this season, Lee had two goals, one assist and was a -1 rating.

“I think he’s lost his game a little. He looks a little indecisive – playing not to make a mistake,” Clouston said of Lee. “He’s got to go down there and find his game again and be a dominant defenceman.”

Karlsson will draw into the lineup because Anton Volchenkov does not appear ready to return after missing 13 games with a right elbow injury he suffered on October 28th. Despite participating in a full practice on Friday, Volchenkov told reporters he would “probably not” play against the Bruins and opt to return on Tuesday in San Jose.

Volchenkov has missed the past 13 games with a right elbow injury he suffered on October 28th at Florida. The Senators have posted a 7-5-1 record without him in the lineup.

NOTES:Mike Fisher did not skate with the team on Friday, but Clouston says there is progress with his undisclosed upper-body injury. Fisher skated on his own in a warmup suit on Friday after the team left the ice. The head coach did not rule him out of Saturday’s game just yet … F Jason Spezza did not practice with the team on Friday, but it was a regularly scheduled maintenance day for him before the club start’s a five-game road trip. Said Spezza of the upcoming trip, “This is a big part of our season. If we can come back over .500 we can set ourselves up pretty good.” … F Daniel Alfredsson and D Alexandre Picard also missed practice for what Clouston described as “maintenance”. Both are expected in the lineup.

Freak accident sidelines Leclaire ’til ChristmasLaudrup turns down Atletico

There exists a belief that every player selected for Canada’s men’s hockey team must also be qualified to compete in a speed skating event.

But not every player on the Olympic list can check off quick feet as a skill. In fact, if it came down to skating, would Phil Esposito have made Team Canada in 1972? Espo, the best and most valuable player in the famous Summit Series, skated like he was carrying a refrigerator on his back. But stand him in front of the net and he was suddenly the most dangerous – and effective – player in the series.

For that matter, I don’t recall Wayne Gretzky winning a lot of foot races and all he did was re-write the NHL record book.

All of this leads me to the plight of Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. The 24-year-old product of Peterborough, ON, will never be mistaken for Jeremy Wotherspoon, but the NHL’s fifth leading scorer (third amongst Canadian-born players) knows how to score.

Perry is currently the league’s hottest player with points in 15 straight games and has only failed to register on the score sheet in three of the Ducks 22 games. And as we get closer to the start of the Games, offence is a growing concern for Team Canada.

Sidney Crosby, expected to be the centre piece for Canada’s gold medal challenger, ranks 23rd in league scoring and is averaging less than a point per game with 23 in 24. Unbelievably he is 44th in assists with 12.

Ryan Getzlaf, Perry’s Anaheim teammate who was projected by many to be Canada’s No. 1 center behind Crosby, has but four goals in 22 games. Vinny Lecavalier, meanwhile, ranks 48th in NHL scoring with four goals and 19 points in 21 games.

You get the picture.

Perry may not look pretty on the ice, but toss a puck into the corner and he’ll come out with it nine out of 10 times. He’s a lanky 6′3, 205 pounds and can bull his way to the net like a charging fullback. Best of all, he has the hands of a surgeon and he’ll pay a price to win.

Chemistry could work in Perry’s favour as he and Getzlaf have been one of the NHL’s most dynamic duos the past few years, and lately Getzlaf seems to be coming out of his early season funk.

Yzerman has indicated past performance and tenure will not be overriding factors when it comes to choosing his team. That being the case, Perry has a very good opportunity to play himself onto the squad. Hockey Canada thought highly enough of Perry to invite him to the summer evaluation camp and here’s hoping he is still in their good books based on his play thus far this season.

KIPPER’S CONUNDRUM

Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has let it be known if he is not chosen to start in net for Finland at the Olympics he’ll skip the tournament. There are those, I am certain, who will view this as greedy and self-centered.

I am not one of those.

While some would argue Nashville’s Pekka Rinne has performed well enough this season to garner serious consideration as Finalnd’s starter, Kiprusoff has age, experience and tenure on his side. If he is not named the starting goaltender, then he has every right to consider using the two weeks as an opportunity to rest up for the second half of the NHL season.

Few goaltenders are relied on as heavily as Kiprusoff is in Calgary. For some reason the Flames have deemed it unnecessary to acquire and experienced backup, so Kiprusoff gets the majority of starts: 76, 76, 74 and 74 in the past four seasons.

If Kiprusoff goes to Vancouver, he gives Finland a legitimate shot at winning a medal. He can, as we have seen for years now, be a difference maker and pretty much always gives his team a chance to win. If he skips the Games, that is his prerogative. He’ll risk criticism and, just like Patrick Roy in 2002, the possibility of winning a gold medal. It’s his call.

Ron – Real not a one-man teamShannon: While you were sleeping

THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON — As bad as things are for the Edmonton Oilers after a 3-1 loss to Los Angeles Wednesday, their circumstances could still get worse before they get better.

The Oilers, 4-10-2 in their last 16 games and already riddled by injuries and struggling to score goals, lost Ales Hemsky in the second period against the Kings on a hit from behind by Michal Handzus.

On Friday, they host the top team in the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks, who will arrive still stinging from a 7-2 drubbing at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. Then, the Oilers play six straight games on the road, where they’re 2-7-2 so far.

However, coach Pat Quinn doesn’t want anyone to get ahead of themselves.

“We can’t think in terms of six or seven games,” he said, when asked about what stands to be a daunting stretch. “We’ve got San Jose. We really have to concentrate hard. We know they’re a hell of a hockey team.

“We’re under-manned a little bit, but we still have to really focus on our continuing to develop to be a team. We’ll get a challenge tomorrow, there’s not any question about it, and the road trip’s not going to be any easier.”

Hemsky, second in team scoring to Dustin Penner with 22 points despite playing with a sore shoulder, is out with an upper-body injury after the hit by Handzus, who was penalized for boarding. Hemsky was scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday.

Quinn now has to piece his lines together without Hemsky, Mike Comrie (mononucleosis), Fernando Pisani (colitis), Ryan Stone (knee) and Robert Nilsson (concussion). Defencemen Denis Grebeshkov (knee) and Taylor Chorney (ankle), as well as starting goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin (back) are also out.

Of Quinn’s healthy forwards, Only Penner, with 26 points, has produced with any consistency. Sam Gagner has one goal in his last 15 games. Andrew Cogliano has one goal in his last 19. Patrick O’Sullivan has two goals in his last 17 games.

“We’re inconsistent,” Quinn said. “I wouldn’t call that a funk. A funk is when you establish a consistency where you know where your level is and you’re not playing at your level.

“If there’s anything consistent about it, it’s that we are inconsistent. We’re challenging ourselves to learn and get better and do things a lot better than we’ve been doing.

“Then, when we establish what kind of team we think we are on a consistent basis and we get off our pace or our expectations, then you can say that’s a funk. We’re still grinding to find out a lot about ourselves.”

After a 6-2-1 start to the season, the 12th-place Oilers haven’t won back-to-back games in over a month, dating back to wins over Vancouver Oct. 19 and Columbus Oct. 22.

“We’ve had a lot of tests so far this year with injuries and sickness,” Gagner said. “They’re just going to keep coming.”

On Friday, they get the Sharks, who lead the Western Conference at 16-6-4 despite getting thrashed by the Blackhawks. Then, it’s games in Vancouver, Detroit, Dallas, Florida, Tampa Bay and St. Louis.

“It’s the NHL. It’s a tough league for a reason,” Gagner said. “We know it’s going to be a tough test for us coming up, especially with the way San Jose got beat the last game.

“We know they’re going to come in with a lot to prove and our focus has to be there and our intensity has to be there.”

One subplot, at least for fans, is Friday marks Dany Heatley’s first appearance in Edmonton since he turned down a trade to the Oilers last summer by invoking a no-trade clause while with the Ottawa Senators.

“I’m sure Edmonton fans, obviously, don’t like him too much,” said Cogliano, who was packaged with Penner and Ladislav Smid in the attempt to land Heatley.

“I honestly don’t care about Dany Heatley or the situation. I’ve got things to worry about now about my game, making sure I’m a good hockey player and moving myself in the right direction.”

Quinn feels the same. He’s got too much on his plate to worry about the Heatley factor.

“It’s one of those things that got made up bigger than it probably should have,” Quinn said. “It was an attempt to bring Heatley to this hockey club. It didn’t happen. You move on. It should be gone. It doesn’t matter. He’s a good player. He’s a good kid, but he plays for someone else. We don’t care about that.”

Notes: With Hemsky out, the Oilers recalled forwards Ryan O’Marra and Colin McDonald from Springfield of the AHL Thursday and sent Liam Reddox back to the Falcons.

O’Sullivan wants to score more for OilersRon – Real not a one-man team

BY IAN MENDES

sportsnet.ca

It appears Shean Donovan’s knee injury is not as serious as the Ottawa Senators initially feared with the winger expected to be out of action for at least six-to-eight weeks.

“It’s just a matter of making sure the MCL heals and then you put a brace on it. I’ve had it hurt before, so it’s not that big of a deal,” Donovan told reporters on Saturday morning.

At first, it was feared that Donovan could miss the remainder of the season but an MRI on Friday did not reveal any significant structural damage to the ACL. However, head coach Cory Clouston said there may be further testing on the knee once the swelling goes down.

“There’s a good chance there could be some ACL damage as well,” cautioned Clouston. “So it might take six to eight weeks before we know what the complete extent of it is.”

The injury occurred when he was hit by Matt Cooke in the third period on Thursday night in a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The hit drew the ire of many Senators players and general manager Bryan Murray, but Donovan refused to publicly condemn Cooke for his actions.

“Obviously, I let my guard down. I’ve played against him many times and he finishes his checks. It was a hit and he finished it with his knee — but it’s not the dirtiest check I’ve ever seen,” Donovan said.

Keita ordered to restDemitra suffers shoulder injury setback

In an ironic twist, Pascal Leclaire injured himself on Monday night in a game that the netminder was watching from the bench. And as a result, the Senators will be without their top goaltender for the next four weeks.

The club confirmed that Leclaire suffered a fractured cheek bone, when he was hit with a puck that went into the bench area midway through the second period of Monday’s 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals.

“It’s disappointing and it’s bad luck. I don’t know what the odds are,” said Leclaire on Tuesday morning. “But I’m trying to look at it the other way. It could have got me in the eye and it could have been worse. Around Christmas, I should be back and I look forward to playing.”

“Very disappointing, especially to happen that way. It wasn’t even in a game,” echoed head coach Cory Clouston.

Leclaire was sitting out the Washington game to recover from a mild lower body injury that he suffered on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres. That injury was not expected to keep him out of the lineup for more than a few days. Leclaire said the blow from the puck was harder than any hit he’s received while wearing full equipment, but it doesn’t sound like he received a concussion from the freak accident.

“I was kind of dazed for a while. But I remember everything. It was a pretty good blow,” he said.

Leclaire will likely require a minor plastic surgery procedure to fix the misplaced bones in his cheek. The netminder, who is known for his easy-going personality, showed off his sharp wit on Tuesday when he was asked about a possible date with a plastic surgeon.

“We’ll see what’s cool in Hollywood and I’ll make my choice,” joked Leclaire.

Leclaire’s absence for an extended period of time means the club will have to rely on backup goaltender Brian Elliott to carry the load for the next few weeks. The Senators recalled netminder Mike Brodeur from AHL Binghamton to serve as the backup, starting with Wednesday’s game at New Jersey.

Elliott played the majority of games down the stretch for the Senators last season and is ready for the challenge of being the club’s top netminder until Christmas.

“It’s kind of unexpected and an unlucky chain of events,” said Elliott. “Obviously, an opportunity pops up and I’ll take advantage of it. We’ll be awaiting his comeback and we’ll play our best until then.”

Notes: Clouston said that Alexei Kovalev is doubtful for Wednesday’s game at New Jersey. Kovalev has missed the team’s last two games to attend to a death in his family in Russia … D Anton Volchenkov, who has missed 11 straight games with an elbow injury, isn’t ready to return against the Devils … Mike Fisher left practice early on Tuesday, but Clouston said it was just for “maintenance” and he should be fine to play against New Jersey.

Senators entertain Bolts’ young gunsRonaldo close to comeback

A Montreal businessman is leading a group of Phoenix-area investors who want to buy the NHL’s Coyotes and keep the team in Glendale, Ariz according to a Toronto newspaper.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Steve Stotland and his group began pursuing the Coyotes after the team emerged from bankruptcy court and was sold to the NHL earlier this month.

In 2000, Stotland was part of a group that looked into buying the Montreal Canadiens when they were for sale in and again this past spring.

In the report, Stotland said his group is comprised of high net-worth individuals in the Phoenix area, some of whom are associated with the area?s pension funds.

?I can confirm that we?ve had discussions and we continue to be in contact,? NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Globe and Mail. ?I know he?s done due diligence and met with the team and that?s the extent of it. He seems to be excited by the prospect of owning the team and we?ll see where it goes.?

Kone wants first-team footballForbes ranks Leafs as most valuable NHL club

I have always viewed myself as a westerner. Even though I have spent the past 17 years living in the east, my B.C. roots and my 12 years in Alberta taught me to think with the time zones in mind.

I can’t help but think hockey fans in the eastern part of the continent are missing something. By the time the news is coming on, most people in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa (and New York for that matter) are setting their alarm clocks for tomorrow morning. They are missing the buzzer at the end of the first or second period for some of the most entertaining games in the NHL.

And they are missing some of the great stars in the league too.

In California alone, there are at least six great players who have electrified hockey fans on the West Coast. The Kings have Anze Kopitar leading the league in scoring (going into Wednesday’s games.) Kopitar has two strikes against him, as far as recognition. Not only do his games start at 10:30 pm ET, but he is from that hockey-hot-bed, Slovenia. His puck sense is sensational, and his knack to be in the right place at the right time has fans in L.A. talking about a comparison to two other Kings scorers, Marcel Dionne and Wayne Gretzky.

On the Kings’ blue line is Drew Doughty, who is actually 19 and plays like he’s 29. His leadership and on-ice composure have many saying that he will have a chance to play for Canada in the Winter Games in Vancouver.

Down Interstate 5, Corey Perry is playing for a Ducks’ team still trying to find itself. But Perry’s play is entertaining, aggressive and very smart. He isn’t afraid to go to the net, with or without the puck. Perry’s play has overshadowed linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. And as a threesome, they are the Ducks’ offence. Which if you are a fan is very entertaining, but if you are coach Randy Carlyle, it is a frustration because you can’t play the trio for 60 minutes.

In San Jose, the names Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are well known, even to those in the east. That’s probably because Joe and Dany had great success for teams in Boston and Ottawa, respectively. But I do suspect that many east of the Mississippi have never stayed up late to watch the boys work their magic in the Shark Tank. They just might be the best one-two punch in hockey since Brett Hull and Adam Oates. Thornton to Heatley has become lethal, and after a slow start the duo has the Sharks at the top of the conference standings, where they belong.

In Calgary, Jarome Iginla has to be my early-season Hart Trophy nominee because of his recent play. A hat-trick in L.A. and both goals in Anaheim left me absolutely in awe of the Flames captains’ athletic ability and his will to win. Against the Ducks, it felt like he never the left the ice in the third period, and that he willed his team to come-from-behind to force a tie (only to lose in a shootout).

I could probably go on and on here because players like Roberto Luongo, Dustin Penner and Mikka Kipprusoff have been great for their teams with great notice locally, but little acknowledgement from the hockey world on the other side of the continent. Even team success, like that of the Avalanche, only gets noticed when most people check out the standings the next day, and they wonder in amazement how Colorado can do anything right without Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg! Just remember the names Craig Anderson, Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly.

So, if you live in the west, know how lucky you really are to be watching these players all the time.

And if you live in the east, check your TV schedule, take an afternoon nap, and stay up late one night.

Enjoy some of the games’ great names live, and enjoy the whole league.

Ronaldo making good progressDucks give up on Sbisa for season

After a slow start, Carey Price has rounded into form. The Columbus Blue Jackets hope they can say the same of Steve Mason in the very near future.

A pair of goaltenders headed in opposite directions likely will be on display Tuesday night as the Blue Jackets try to rebound from an ugly loss in a matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.

Price has established himself as one of the league’s best young goaltenders with two strong seasons for the Canadiens (11-11-1) since he was the fifth overall selection in the 2005 draft. He began 2009-10 as Montreal’s No. 1 goalie but an early-season six-game losing streak opened the door for Jaroslav Halak to get more playing time.

Price has since regained the No. 1 job, going 4-2-1 with a 1.94 goals-against average in his past seven appearances while starting the last five games. He had another strong performance in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to visiting Detroit, making 32 saves through overtime.

Mason captured the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie with 33 wins last season and helped the Blue Jackets (12-7-3) reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Mason, however, is experiencing a very profound sophomore slump, ranking next-to-last in the NHL with a 3.59 goals-against average.

He was pulled for the third time this season Monday night in Columbus’ 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers after allowing four goals on 17 shots. Mason surrendered at least four goals for the eighth time in 17 starts this season.

Coach Ken Hitchcock could start Mathieu Garon, but he wasn’t much better than Mason against the Rangers, giving up three goals on 15 shots.

Monday’s loss was the Blue Jackets’ first in regulation since a 9-1 defeat to Detroit on Nov. 11 in Hitchcock’s 1,000th NHL game. Columbus has earned at least a point in nine of its last 11 games (6-2-3).

Blue Jackets star forward Rick Nash has been held without a point in consecutive games for the first time this season and was a minus-4 in Monday’s loss.

“When your best players are minus big time, you’re not going to win many games,” Hitchcock said.

The Canadiens lost after regulation for the first time this season Saturday, dropping to 8-1 in games decided beyond the third period.

Mike Cammalleri scored two third-period goals for Montreal, which is 1-3-1 in its last five home games.

Cammalleri has four goals and two assists in his last five contests overall and three goals and five points in his last three against Columbus. He’ll need to continue to produce with center Scott Gomez sidelined by a lower-body injury suffered in Friday’s 3-2 win over Washington.

Center Tomas Plekanec has also been hot lately, tallying one goal and seven assists in his past five games.

Montreal made a minor trade Monday, acquiring Benoit Pouliot from Minnesota in exchange for Guillaume Latendresse in a swap of left wings. Pouliot – the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft – had two goals and two assists in 14 games this season for the Wild.

The Canadiens will be without enforcer Georges Laraque after he received a five-game suspension for an incident Saturday against the Red Wings when he collided with Niklas Kronwall resulting in a leg-on-leg, open-ice hit.

The Blue Jackets have won consecutive games against the Canadiens, including a 4-3 shootout victory Nov. 7, 2008, in the most recent meeting. Columbus is 3-1-0 with one tie all-time at Montreal.

Llorente pens new contractJackets activate Huselius, place Torres on IR

THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON — With the puck nestled in the net and the crowd at Rexall Place roaring, Patrick O’Sullivan threw his arms in the air and looked skyward in a goal celebration that seemed equal parts relief and elation.

There was plenty of both to go around Wednesday as O’Sullivan scored just his second goal in 14 games to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a come-from-behind 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

O’Sullivan’s third-period winner snapped a four-game losing streak as the Oilers overcame a 4-2 deficit to open a five-game homestand with the kind of victory than can turn a season on a dime.

O’Sullivan and the Oilers could use some of that.

“It was 5-4 Oilers. That’s what I was thinking,” said O’Sullivan, asked about his animated celebration. “It was a game where we were down and had to come back. We haven’t done that as much as we’d like this season.

“It was a big goal, at home, too. On the road, you can’t really celebrate as much. Generally, for me, I don’t really celebrate much when I do score.”

While it wasn’t the way coach Pat Quinn drew it up, the win sends the Oilers into a game with the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday feeling a lot better about themselves after a 2-8-2 stretch.

Likewise O’Sullivan, who has struggled mightily to find his scoring touch since joining Edmonton at the trade deadline last March — his winner was just his fourth goal of this season and sixth in 41 games since coming over from the Los Angeles Kings.

“You want to contribute,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s more about that than me scoring.

“It’s a business. When things aren’t going well, there’s going to be people who are unhappy. This is serious. This isn’t for fun here, you know? It’s a job for us. When you win, you’re able to have fun at your job.”

O’Sullivan, 24, jumped on a loose puck pushed into the slot by Gilbert Brule and snapped it behind Colorado’s Peter Budaj. It capped a rally that saw the Oilers escape a fifth straight loss with four straight goals, by Sam Gagner, Ryan Potulny, O’Sullivan and Ales Hemsky, into an empty net.

“Sometimes when you’re playing good games, you don’t win,” said defenceman Steve Staios. “If you continue to play the right way, things will fall into place.

“We faced a little bit of adversity. There’s some nights where you maybe start to feel sorry for yourself and you pack it in. We, as a team, showed some resilience. Over a long season, those types of signs are what you’re looking for in building a good team. That’s a good step forward for us.”

After a 6-2-1 start, the Oilers hit the skids, in large part because of a flu bug that hit hard in combination with injuries to Staios, Sheldon Souray, Shawn Horcoff, Fernando Pisani, Ryan Stone, J.F. Jacques and Denis Grebeshkov.

Putting that 2-8-2 stretch behind and clawing back into a Western Conference playoff position is the challenge. Quinn hopes Wednesday is a start, but knows one gritty win doesn’t constitute a turnaround.

“What I seem to find right now is we take those little victories and get a little bit of self-satisfaction,” Quinn said. “I’ve said this before, we’re not mentally tough enough to get through those periods where we bend but don’t break. We’re breaking, and we’ve got to get to where we bend because it happens to every hockey team.”

At 9-10-3 for 21 points, the Oilers face a difficult stretch in which they complete this homestand against Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Jose before playing six straight games on the road.

“You’re always looking for something to build on that has a positive nature,” Quinn said. “When you’re a coach, a lot of times it’s easy to point to the negatives. You say, ‘We can’t do this any more,’ but you’ve also got to say, ‘Here’s where we did do it right.’ We’ve got to continue that.”

Notes: Captain Ethan Moreau, knocked out of Wednesday’s game in the second period by an unpenalized elbow to the jaw by Colorado’s Ryan Wilson, was experiencing headaches and dizziness Thursday and didn’t skate … Mike Comrie, in and out of the lineup with what was believed to be the effects of the flu complicated by asthma, has been diagnosed with mononucleosis.

Oilers’ Comrie struck by mononucleosisCopa del Rey round-up