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Sens stop Oilers to give Murray 600th win

Edmonton gets Ottawa in shootout as coach 5th to reach milestone

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updated 12:12 a.m. ET Feb. 21, 2007

OTTAWA - Bryan Murray almost had to wait for another night to join an exclusive coaching fraternity.

Former Oilers Dean McAmmond and Mike Comrie scored in the shootout, and Mike Fisher had a goal and assist in regulation, to lead the Senators to a 4-3 win Tuesday night over Edmonton for Murray’s 600th career win.

Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Dick Irvin and Pat Quinn are the only other coaches with 600.

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“It’s elite company, no question about it, and I respect it a great deal,” Murray said. “To win that many games it’s a great compliment to the players I’ve had, to the teams I’ve coached.”

The Senators took an early lead on goals by Fisher and Dany Heatley, but Petr Sykora scored twice in a 14-minute span of the third period for Edmonton and rookie defenseman Tom Gilbert netted his first NHL goal with 19.9 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

“It was a feeling of relief,” Comrie said. “I was happy to be able to contribute.”

Murray reached the milestone in 1,199 games. He earned his first win on Nov. 18, 1981, with Washington and holds the distinction of being the longest-serving coach without a Stanley Cup.

Ottawa won its fifth straight and third consecutive at home.

Martin Gerber stopped 27 shots for his sixth straight win and third in relief of Ray Emery, the Senators’ No. 1 goalie who served the last of a three-game suspension for slashing Montreal’s Maxim Lapierre.

Sykora beat Gerber to his blocker side with a long slap shot on a power-play at 1:34 to cut the Oilers’ deficit to 2-1.

Daniel Alfredsson restored the Senators’ two-goal lead at 12:17, but Sykora answered again.

The Czech winger intercepted a clearing attempt from center Chris Kelly and snapped a shot past a stunned Gerber at 15:48 to make it 3-2.

Gerber, who improved to 11-9-1, won for the first time in four career starts against the Oilers.

Fisher ran his point streak to six games by scoring his 13th goal of the season, giving Ottawa a 2-0 lead at 12:20 of the second.

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Markkanen faltered on that play, but finished with 31 saves during his first start in nine games in relief of Dwayne Roloson.

Heatley opened the scoring with his 33rd goal on the Senators 12th shot 14:44 in, beating Markkanen with a low shot to the glove side.

Edmonton, which fell to 0-3-1 on its season-high seven-game road trip, played in Ottawa for the first time since a 3-3 tie on Nov. 6, 2003.

“Hopefully we can build from this game and get some momentum,” Oilers captain Jason Smith said.

Notes: The Oilers scratched D Matt Greene and forwards Zach Stortini and Petr Nedved. ... Sykora has 33 career two-goal games but no hat tricks.

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