Igor's second life with Oilers 'great'

By ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI

 NEW JERSEY -- Is it a good sign when a 34-year-old reclamation project playing his fourth game in four nights is the best player on your team?

 It isn't if you're looking at the rest of the team, but consider the first game of defenceman Igor Ulanov's second life with the Oilers a smashing success.

 "I thought he was great, absolutely great," said head coach Craig MacTavish, who got 18:24 of plus-2 hockey from Ulanov in a 3-2 loss.

 "The plays he made with the puck stood out so much in terms of getting the puck and making the right play and taking the right angle. I couldn't be happier with the way he played.

 "If he can continue to play like that he's going to be a big lift."

 The Oilers demoted rookies Doug Lynch and Mikko Luoma to make room for Ulanov and Marc-Andre Bergeron, who were both recalled from the Toronto Roadrunners yesterday.

 For Ulanov, whose best years in the NHL may have been the two seasons he spent in Edmonton (1999 to 2001) it's a reunion he's been waiting for a long time.

 "It feels amazing, I had sweaty palms walking around before the game. I was so excited, hyper before the game, seeing the guys. It was a great feeling to be back."

 Ulanov played 56 games with Florida last season before finding himself in search of a team this year. He was working out in Toronto when the Oilers called.

 "I'd talked to him since the beginning of the year but there weren't any openings," said Lowe. "But with the injuries starting to happen ... With Cory (Cross) questionable and Jason (Smith) out for a while, he gives us a little more experience."

 Ulanov, six-foot-three, 220-pounds, was a well-liked warrior in his Edmonton days, providing toughness and leadership. If he stays conservative and avoids the kind of glaring errors that cost the Oilers the 2001 playoff series with Dallas, he'll be a solid fit.

 "He had some challenges in some of the other places he's been in but he played particularly well for us," said Lowe. "We're just hoping to rekindle that old flame that he had with us. He's comfortable with our system... he's stayed in contact with a lot of the guys even though he's been away for a number of years.

 "He stayed in great shape. He was practising and waiting for an opportunity. He's been in Toronto for about a month now and the coaches have been really happy with him. We're hoping he'll be a good story for us."

 So are his teammates.

 "Igor was a popular guy in the dressing room," said MacTavish. "Right from the outset, everybody welcomed him back. He's as vocal as anybody on the bench and saying all the right things. He gave us everything. You couldn't ask for more out of a guy who's playing his fourth game in four nights."