EDMONTON — Anton Lander and Matt Fraser each had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers won the battle between the NHL’s two poorest-performing teams, coming away with a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Oscar Klefbom also scored for the Oilers (13-27-9), who have won three of their last four and now sit four points ahead of last-place Buffalo. The Oilers are now 6-5-2 since interim head coach Todd Nelson took over as full-time head coach.
Tyler Myers and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for the Sabres (14-31-3), who have lost a franchise-worst 13 games in a row and only have one win in their last 18.
The Sabres started the scoring just 2:22 into the first period as Torrey Mitchell won a battle behind the net and dished the puck out in front to Myers, who slipped a shot under the arm of Ben Scrivens-on a play the Oilers goalie would likely want to have a second chance at. It was Myers’ second goal of the season.
Edmonton tied the game 1-1 with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the opening frame when Lander fed a puck from behind the goal line to Fraser, who beat Sabres starter Jhonas Enroth with a slap shot for his sixth of the year.
The Oilers surged ahead with five minutes to play in the first as Lander sent a backhand pass to Klefbom at the top of the circle and the young defenceman blasted his first goal of the season into the Sabres’ net.
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