Final Score: Edmonton 5, NY Rangers 4

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Raffi Torres scored twice in the second period to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Ryan Smyth assisted on both Torres tallies for Edmonton, which improved to 3-1-2 in its last six games. Playing against his former team, Radek Dvorak scored his first goal of the season in the win.

With starting goaltender Tommy Salo having to return to Edmonton earlier in the day due to a hip injury, Ty Conklin was forced into action. He picked up the victory after making 32 saves.

Bobby Holik scored twice and Tom Poti dished out a pair of assists, as the Rangers lost their third straight game (0-2-0-1).

Mike Dunham gave up more than three goals for the first time in his 10 starts this season, allowing five goals on 28 shots in this one.

Just 12 seconds after the Rangers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period, Edmonton cut the deficit in half on Jarret Stoll's first career tally. Marc- Andre Bergeron's shot from the boards was blocked before ricocheting into the slot, where Stoll turned and fired a slap shot over the glove of Dunham to make it a 2-1 game with 5:08 to play in the opening stanza.

Dvorak recorded his first goal of the season on the power play to even the score 6:35 into the middle period. Mike York's shot from the left circle clanked off the crossbar and Dvorak hauled in the rebound in front of the net and shoveled the puck into the vacated goal.

Torres gave the Oilers the lead with his first of the contest. Smyth's shot from a difficult angle was kicked away by Dunham. The puck caromed right onto the stick of Torres, who calmly placed the puck in the net for a 3-2 Edmonton lead with 8:52 remaining in the second stanza.

After some hard work late in the middle period, Torres scored again. After winning the puck behind the net his first shot from the slot was stopped by Dunham. His rebound attempt, though, beat the goaltender short-side for a two- goal Oiler lead with just under five minutes to play.

Leetch helped the Rangers reduce the deficit to 4-3 when he tallied his first goal of the season. After missing the team's first nine games of the campaign, Leetch banged home a rebound with only 39 seconds left in the second period.

The Oilers took advantage of a neutral-zone turnover by New York early in the final period. Shawn Horcoff carried the puck in on the right wing on a 3-on-2 and found the trailer, Jason Chimera, who fought off a potential backcheck and fired a shot past Dunham.

Holik then scored his second of the game with 4:23 left to play when his backhand shot beat Conklin to the near post, reducing the deficit to one. Holik then had an opportunity to tie the contest with under a minute to play, but his slap shot from the right circle was denied by Conklin to preserve the victory for Edmonton.

Despite playing on opposite coasts and different conferences, the two teams have some strong ties. Rangers general manager and head coach Glen Sather was coaching his first game against the team he guided to four Stanley Cup championships. New York captain Mark Messier also played on those championship teams.

Additionally, Anson Carter played his first career game against his former team, the Oilers. He was traded for Cory Cross and Dvorak late last season.

The Rangers grabbed a 1-0 lead just under four minutes into the contest when Holik scored his first of the contest.

Boris Mironov then doubled New York's advantage when his shot at 14:30 of the first period from just above the left circle beat Conklin glove side. Eric Lindros sent a nice tip pass from the center of the ice onto the stick of Mironov, who fired a shot toward the net. The puck tipped off Conklin's glove for a two-goal New York lead.

Game Notes

Edmonton won for the first time in its last seven trips to MSG (1-4-2). The last time the Oilers won in New York was in March of 1996...This was the only meeting between the two teams this season...Lindros recorded a pair of assists in the contest and now has three helpers in his two games since returning from a chest injury...The Oilers recalled Stephen Valiquette earlier Monday from Toronto of the AHL to serve as Conklin's backup.