The Colorado Avalanche needed only about 30 strong minutes - and one shot in the tiebreaker - to beat the Edmonton Oilers and snap a three-game losing streak.
T.J. Galiardi, Paul Stastny and Tomas Fleischmann scored in the first 14:49, and Milan Hejduk had the lone shootout goal in the Avalanche's 4-3 victory Thursday night.
''We're happy to come out with the two points,'' Stastny said. ''I think we took it to them in the first period and then they started taking it to us. We got caught on our heels a little bit. Down the road, they won't look at how we got it, just that we got the two points.''
Taylor Hall scored for Edmonton in the second period, and Ales Hemsky and Andrew Cogliano tied it with goals early in the third.
Craig Anderson made 32 saves for the Avalanche, then turned aside Jordan Eberle, Hemsky and Hall in the tiebreaker. The Oilers have lost five in a row and seven of their last eight.
Colorado opened the scoring at 3:22 when Galiardi's shot deflected past goalie Devan Dubnyk.
The Avalanche made it 2-0 with 7:59 left when David Jones fought off a pair of defenders behind the Oilers' net and sent it in front to Stastny, whose shot went in off the post for his 14th goal of the season.
Fleischmann scored with 5:11 left in period, taking advantage of a turnover for his 10th goal.
In the second, Hall scored his 12th of the season. Sam Gagner dug the puck out of a crowd in front of the net and sent it to Hall and the rookie star beat Anderson at 9:30.
''I think it was really important for the young guys to just go out there and just do whatever we could do to help win the second period,'' Hall said. ''I think there were two or three shifts there by our line that turned the game around for us.''
The Oilers had a chance to close within a goal with 7 minutes left in the second, but Cogliano's shot that looked to be on its way in instead hit defender John-Michael Liles directly in the face. Liles left the ice clutching a towel to his head to stop the blood, but returned for the third.
Edmonton made it 3-2 at 1:54 of the third when Hemsky used Dustin Penner hit the top corner.
The Oilers tied it at 4:53. Hemsky picked up the puck behind the Colorado net and quickly passed in front to Cogliano, who beat Anderson through the legs.
''We just needed to regroup and get back to what made us successful in the first period,'' Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. ''We got away from it there for a while, but in the third we got back to what made us successful. Overall, it is a good start for our road trip to get the two points in the bank.''
Both teams killed penalties in overtime.
''A game like tonight illuminates a lot of things,'' Oilers coach Tom Renney said. ''I'm hoping it illuminates what we are capable of in respect to our character and ability to push back.''
NOTES: Colorado center Phillip Dupuis went down behind the play early in the first period and had to be helped off the ice. He didn't return ... Avs defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was able to play after taking a deflected puck to the face Monday.
