Devils 2, Oilers 1, SO

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Brian Gionta came through again to help the New Jersey Devils end a four-game losing streak.

Gionta, who leads the team with 18 goals, beat Ty Conklin with a backhand shot in a shootout Tuesday night to give the Devils a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

"I was feeling pretty confident," Gionta said. "He was playing above the crease. I faked a shot to freeze him and then made my move."

The Devils depend on Gionta in clutch situations.

"I don't know how confident and cool he is, but I know how confident and cool I am when I see him on the ice," Devils coach Larry Robinson said.

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur stopped Jarret Stoll's attempt to open the shootout, Viktor Kozlov then beat Conklin with a deke, and Brodeur set the stage for Gionta by stopping Ales Hemsky on the Oilers' second try.

Richard Matvichuk scored in regulation and Brodeur made 29 saves for the Devils.

Cory Cross scored for the Oilers and Conklin made 27 saves in his first appearance since Oct. 21.

"I felt good," Conklin said. "I felt I could have handled the puck a little better. All in all, I felt pretty good."

Matvichuk scored his first goal as a Devil at 11:51 of the first period. Alexander Mogilny set up the goal with a back pass from deep in the Oilers' zone.

Cross tied it at 8:23 of the second. Cross, along the right boards, took a shot that glanced off the leg of Devils forward Jamie Langenbrunner and past Brodeur.

The Oilers, held to five shots in the first period, came alive in the second with 12. Brodeur made sharp saves against Ryan Smyth and Stoll to keep the score tied.

In the scoreless third, Edmonton's Ethan Moreau had the best chance to break the deadlock, but hit the post behind Brodeur.

In the overtime, Oilers defenseman Shawn Horcoff got a hooking penalty at 2:22, giving the Devils several good chances to get the win. Conklin was equal to the challenge, making saves on Kozlov, Gionta and Langenbrunner.

"Ty was exceptional," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "He made some great saves with his glove. In the overtime, they were getting good quality shots."

Notes: Defenseman Dan McGillis returned to the Devils' lineup after five straight games as a healthy scratch. With McGillis back, Sean Brown was scratched. ... Radek Dvorak returned for the Oilers after missing two games with a groin strain. ... The Devils were 0-for-9 on the power play to drop to 2-for-53 in their last eight games.