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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Boyd Devereaux told his teammates he was going to burst out of his scoring slump. He kept his word.
Devereaux had the first three-goal game of his career Friday night, breaking a 2-2 deadlock early in the third period and adding an insurance goal to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.
|  | | Ottawa's Shaun Van Allen and Edmonton's Georges Laraque get into a shoving match in front of the Senators net. |
"It's unbelievable. I joked to some of the guys that I might get a hat trick tonight," the third-year center said.
"I'd hit a couple of posts recently -- and I'm not talking the side of the post, I hit them solid. So I told the guys I was going to get a hat trick. But it's not like I'm going to call it every game."
Devereaux is the first Oiler with three goals since fellow fourth-liner Georges Laraque did it Feb. 21 against the Los Angeles Kings.
"After he got two," Laraque said, "I told him 'I'm going to do everything in my power to get you three.'"
Laraque, in fact, set up two of Devereaux's goals, including the winner 2:04 into the third. He centered the puck from behind the net and Devereaux tapped it between the legs of Patrick Lalime to give Edmonton a 3-2 lead.
Devereaux secured the final result with just over two minutes to play, notching his eighth goal of the season.
"Boyd is probably going to get a couple more of these," Laraque said.
The Oilers trail the Colorado Avalanche by two points in the race for first place atop the Northwest Division.
The Senators remain second in the Northeast Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Edmonton hasn't lost to Ottawa in more than six years, going 7-0-3 against the Senators since a 4-3 loss Jan. 18, 1994.
"They capitalized," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "Devereaux had a great night. He got great opportunities alone in front of the net. When you have those opportunities, you score goals."
After a scoreless first period, the teams exploded for three goals in a 1:07 span of the second.
Tom Poti, who finished the night with a goal and two assists, gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead.
Daniel Alfredsson evened the score 46 seconds later, and Devereaux regained the lead for the Oilers just 21 seconds after that, converting a short feed from Laraque.
Rob Zamuner pulled the Senators even with just more than seven minutes to play in the second, deflecting Vaclav Prospal's tight-angle shot over Tommy Salo.
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