A Gusher in Edmonton: Oilers Attempt 85 Shots in Rally to Beat Colorado It just goes to show what shooting the puck does. It's pretty cool to be a part of a record, especially being able to set one with this organization, which has some pretty tough records to beat," said Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, after the Oilers recorded a team-record 56 shots on goal, while attempting an astounding 85 shots. Hockey Night in Canada has been the setting for many classic games. In Edmonton on Saturday night, H.N.I.C. commentator Don Cherry addressed the crowd before the Oilers-Avalanche game and spoke of being there in 1980 when Wayne Gretzky became the fastest to score 50 goals when he did it in the Oilers' 39th game of the season. Little did Cherry know that he and the crowd were in for another memorable H.N.I.C. tilt. The Oilers had won only one of their previous 7 games while scoring just 12 goals in that span. And it didn't look good when the Avalanche scored to take a 1-0 lead only one minute 22 seconds into the game. But Edmonton never stopped shooting. For most of the game, the Oilers averaged more than one shot on goal a minute. Including blocked and missed shots, the Oilers averaged almost two shots a minute in the first period. In one stretch in the third period, Edmonton attempted 8 shots in 1 minute 28 seconds. The Oilers' pressure in the third period resulted in them finally getting even when they tied the score at 4-4 on their 74th shot (48th on goal). Edmonton scored three goals in the third period to finish off the 6-4 win. The N.H.L. record for shots on goal by one team in a game- set by Boston in 1941 - is 83. While that record is considered almost unbreakable, the league doesn't have a historical record for shots attempted. Needless to say, Edmonton's 85 is a pretty large number. Let's take a look: Oilers' 10th shot (6th on goal) at 4:03 of first period Edmonton's fast start got them to 10 shots in just over four minutes when Jeff Petry finished off an Oilers flurry with a slap shot from the faceoff circle. 30th shot (21st on goal) at 16:56 of first period Magnus Paajarvi, who was inserted into the lineup because of a pregame injury Lennart Petrell, finished off a stretch where the Oilers attempted 8 shots in just over 75 seconds with a shot on goal that was turned aside by Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov. 35th shot (23rd on goal) at 19:57 of first period Ales Hemsky got the Oilers on the board and gave them hope with a power play goal, closing the deficit to 3-1 seconds after the Avalanche appeared to ice the puck unnecessarily. 50th and 51st shots (35th and 36th on goal) at 16:58 of second period Less than three minutes after Colorado's John Mitchell gave the Avalanche a 4-1 lead, the Oilers struck with back-to-back goals on back-to-back shots less than a minute apart. Nugent-Hopkins got it started with his first of the season at 15:59 off a brilliant setup by Taylor Hall. Less than a minute later, Hemsky notched his second of the game off another great setup, this time by Ryan Smyth after he created a Colorado turnover in the offensive zone. Hemsky finished the play by leaving Avalanche defenseman Shane O'Brien in his wake, then deked Varlamov out of the net with a backhand move before slipping a forehand past him. 74th shot (48th shot on goal) at 8:58 of third period Edmonton's Jordan Eberle broke through and tied the score at 4 on the Oilers' 17th shot (10th on goal) of the period. As I described above, the Oilers were buzzing the Avalanche net throughout the first half of the third period. Colorado put two shots on goal in opening minute of the period, then went almost 10 minutes before getting another. Eberle's power play goal came when he stuffed the puck into the net from the side of the goal after Sam Gagner faked a shot from in front of the Colorado goal before passing to Eberle. 85th shot (56th shot on goal) at 18:51 of third period Eberle's empty netter was the Oilers' fifth consecutive goal after they fell behind 4-1 in the second periotd. It also set the Edmonton record for most shots on goal in a game, breaking the previous mark of 55 set in 1986 against the Minnesota North Stars. The Oilers also doubled their previous season high for goals in game (3), which they recorded in losses to San Jose and Calgary. Will the shot barrage be enough to get the Oilers (5-5-3, 13 points) back on track? Consider this quote from Taylor Hall: