(My Sportsbook) - It has not been easy in the early going for the Oilers, but on Thursday Edmonton finally got back to the .500 mark with a 3-1 win over the slumping Calgary Flames.

After winning just three of their first 13 games, the Oilers have won four of their last five and are now 8-8-3-1 on the season.

"We've been pushing to get to 500 all season long," said center Mike Comrie. "For it to happen against Calgary makes it a little more special."

With the score knotted at 1-1 entering the final period, Shawn Horcoff gave Edmonton the lead for good with his second goal of the season 3:24 into the frame. Steve Staios fed the puck along the left boards to Horcoff, who fired a wrist shot that deflected off a Calgary defender and through Jamie McLennan.

"With Smitty, Anson, and Mike, we've got one of the top first lines in the league but we don't want to have to count on them every night," Horcoff said.

Horcoff got some help from linemate Todd Marchant, who scored twice in the win and assisted on Horcoff's winner.

"We've been able to get by on most nights but lately, Marty Reasoner's line, and Mike York's line, and my line have been chipping in here and there and that's what you have to do to be successful," Marchant said. "It comes down to confidence."

The Oilers also got another sensational effort between the pipes from Tommy Salo, who stopped 26 shots and has given up just five goals in his last five starts.

"They played hard tonight and it was a good game but Tommy made some unbelievable saves for us in the first period and throughout the game," Marchant added.

Edmonton even tried to make it easy on the hapless Flames, who have now dropped seven in a row. Calgary enjoyed the first five power plays of the contest and seven of nine overall, but Calgary could not take advantage of the 12:06 minutes in penalties.

In fact Marchant's first tally came shorthanded and kind of set the tempo the rest of the way. The goal was the Oilers' third in two games while down a man.

"Those shorthanded goals are tough to overcome, they really deflate your team," said head coach Craig MacTavish "But they came at us hard, as we knew they would. And I thought we matched their tenaciousness and desperation early on."

WHAT'S AHEAD

The Oilers will host the Detroit Red Wings in the opener of a home-and home on Saturday that will conclude Monday in the Motor City.