Oilers rout Blue Jackets 7-0
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- David Perron had a career-high four points with two goals and two assists and the Edmonton Oilers routed the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0 on Tuesday.
Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk only needed 14 saves to record his first shutout of the season.
Jordan Eberle, Ryan Smyth, Nail Yakupov, Taylor Hall and Justin Schultz also scored for the Oilers, who improved to just 2-7-0 at home this season.
Edmonton was 2-9-1 in its previous 12 games before putting together just its second back-to-back wins this season.
The Blue Jackets have lost four of their past five and nine of their past 11 games.
The Oilers started the scoring at 2:37 of the opening period as the rebound on a Corey Potter point shot came to Eberle at the side of the net and he had a wide-open net to score into before Columbus starter Sergei Bobrovsky could get across.
Edmonton came into the game with only one goal in its previous four home games combined.
The Oilers had been outscored 23-3 in their previous six home games, continued to equal that goal output in the first period with a pair of power-play goals.
Edmonton made it 2-0 with eight minutes remaining in the first as Perron intercepted a pass with his skate and shifted it to his stick for a quick shot and then swooped in to put the rebound for his sixth of the season.
Four minutes later, the Oilers had a three-goal lead, as Sam Gagner sent a pass through the crease and Smyth was able to bat it out of the air and in.
Edmonton had 15 shots in the first, while the Blue Jackets only mustered three shots on Dubnyk.
The Oilers took a 4-0 lead at 8:30 of the second as the puck came to Perron off a faceoff win by Boyd Gordon and he picked the top corner with a shot from a bad angle for his third goal in the past two games.
Curtis McElhinney came in to replace Bobrovsky, who allowed four goals on 18 shots.
It didn't take long for the Oilers to get one past the backup goalie, as Perron made a terrific play to intercept a clearing attempt on an Edmonton power play and got a shot on net, with Yakupov following up to score his fourth of the season on the rebound at 10:36 of the second.
Columbus had its best chance of the game to that point less than a minute later as Ryan Johansen got in tight on the Edmonton net, but Dubnyk made a good play to poke the puck away.
The offense continued for the Oilers at 15:25 of the second as Justin Schultz joined the play on an odd-man rush and beat McElhinney with a shot high to the glove side.
It was the 10th straight goal the Oilers had scored in less than a 60-minute span going back to a four-goal third period to defeat the Flames 4-2 in Calgary on Saturday.
Edmonton was looking for more midway through the third but Gagner was unable to score his first goal of the season, sending a shot into a mostly empty net right on McElhinney, who was down in the crease on the play.
The Oilers made it 7-0 with three minutes left as Eberle sent Hall in on a breakaway and he was able to score five-hole on the Jackets goalie.
Notes: It was the first of just two meetings between the two teams this season. The Oilers will quickly return the favor by visiting Columbus on Nov. 29. ... It was the first time the first and second overall picks from the 2012 draft faced each other in the pros. Edmonton, who won the draft lottery, jumped ahead of Columbus to select forward Yakupov. Columbus followed up that pick by taking defender Ryan Murray. After missing last season with a shoulder surgery, Murray came into the game with two goals and two assists in 20 games. ... Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was on the Oilers bench as the back up to Dubnyk for the first time after signing as a free agent last week. No announcement has been made as to when he is expected to make his first start. ... Blue Jackets goalie Bobrovsky served as Bryzgalov's backup in Philadelphia for a season before getting traded to Columbus prior to the lockout-shortened season. He went 21-11-6 with a 2.00 GAA and four shutouts with the Blue Jackets last season, winning the Vezina Trophy. ... Sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz made his return to the Oilers lineup after missing the previous eight games with a groin injury. ... Columbus winger Matt Calvert is expected to make his return from abdominal surgery this week.