EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Jordan Eberle and David Perron scored in the shootout for the Edmonton Oilers, who erased a three-goal deficit in the third period against goalie Martin Brodeur and beat the New Jersey Devils 5-4 on Monday night.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Andrew Ference, Perron, and Taylor Hall all scored their first of the season in a 7:47 span to make it 4-3. But despite getting a power play with 2:51 left in regulation, the Oilers (1-2) were forced to go to overtime.
Jason LaBarbera made 21 saves through the extra session and stopped both Devils attempts in the shootout. Brodeur made 23 saves, but was 0 for 2 in the tiebreaker.
Edmonton's victory helped the Oilers avoid their worst start since 1995 when they were 0-4.
While the Devils were still a man down late, New Jersey pulled Brodeur for an extra skater, and Patrik Elias netted the tying short-handed goal with 54 seconds remaining.
Jaromir Jagr scored his first goal for the Devils (0-1-2), and Damien Brunner added his third of the young season to give New Jersey a two-goal lead in the first. Michael Ryder made it 3-0 in the second.
Nugent-Hopkins, making his season debut following shoulder surgery, started the Oilers' comeback 5:43 into the third after a mad scramble during a power play in front of the Devils net.
That spoiled Brodeur's shutout bid and left the Oilers as one of only three teams never to be blanked by Brodeur.
Edmonton made it 3-2 at 9:28 when Ference scored on a point shot through traffic.
The momentum shifted wildly, and the Oilers tied it at 11:47 when Perron plucked the puck out of a faceoff in the Devils end and picked the corner for his first goal with Edmonton since being acquired from St. Louis.
The Oilers took the lead just 1:43 later. Ales Hemsky chipped a puck off the boards to Hall, who was alone in front and slipped the puck between Brodeur's legs.
However, the Devils rallied, too. Elias threw a puck on net that banked off Ference's skate and into the net to get the game to overtime.
Jagr put the Devils ahead on the game's first shot 2:59 in, and Brunner made it 2-0 at 8:01.
After a giveaway deep in the Oilers' end, the Devils had a 2-on-1 break. Ryder elected to take the shot and fired the puck into the top corner.
NOTES: New Jersey won 2-1 at Edmonton in the last meeting between the teams on Jan. 11, 2012. ... Brunner has scored three of the Devils' first five goals this season. ... With New Jersey playing at Vancouver on Tuesday, Brodeur got the start against Edmonton. Former Canucks goalie Cory Schneider will start against his old club in his return to Vancouver. ... The Oilers scratched veteran forward Ryan Smyth, who is healthy, in favor of recent call-up Ryan Hamilton.
