Oklahoma City Barons notebook: Goaltender Niko Hovinen gets first start for OKC

Edmonton's four young stars that played three months with the Barons during the NHL lockout are off to solid starts with the Oilers, who are a 4-2-1, tied with Minnesota for the Northwest Division lead.

Taylor Hall leads the Oilers with nine points, including seven assists. Jordan Eberle (seven points), Justin Schultz (five) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (five) are among Edmonton's top scorers in addition to veteran Sam Gagner (eight points).

OIL SPILLS ...

The Barons raised $26,300 for Special Olympics by auctioning off every player's one-of-a-kind Special Olympic jerseys after the game. All-Star Mark Arcobello's No. 26 jersey drew the largest bid ($1,600). That total will rise substantially when the four NHL players' autographed jerseys will be auctioned off online starting on Monday ... Defenseman Taylor Fedun and forward Curtis Hamilton were healthy scratches.

BY MIKE BALDWIN