Oilers overcome slow start to top Coyotes
EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers took a while to get going, but once they did there was no stopping them in a 5-2 home ice victory over the Arizona Coyotes.
Leon Draisaitl, Matt Hendricks, Mark Letestu, Oscar Klefbom and Patrick Maroon scored for the Oilers, who were outplayed badly in the first period by the 29th place team in the NHL.
The win was Edmonton's second in the last six games as they seek to regain some of the momentum they lost after having the All-Star and CBA breaks less than two weeks apart.
The Coyotes made them work for it, though.
The Coyotes might be a distant 29th overall, but are gaining momentum. They rolled into Edmonton 6-2-1 in their previous nine games after a 5-0 victory in Calgary on Monday night and wasted no time jumping on the Oilers.
Josh Jooris battled hard for position in front of the Oilers net and it paid off with his third goal of the season at 10:44. The Coyotes should have come out of the first period with more than a 1-0 lead, but Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot robbed them on a couple great scoring chances to keep Edmonton close.
The Oilers came back hard in the second, starting when Draisaitl scored on a second effort seconds into a man advantage at 2:51. Only seconds later, Matt Hendricks jammed in a loose puck from the Arizona doorstep and the Oilers had their first lead.
Not for long, though.
Eleven seconds later, Martin Hanzal scored his fourth goal in the last three games to make it 2-2.
The Oilers took the lead back before the second intermission when Mark Letestu scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 10:24.
NOTES: Oilers LW Iiro Pakarinen, who dislocated a kneecap in the preseason, made his 2016-17 debut Tuesday. ... Oilers LW Benoit Pouliot missed the game after slamming into the boards during a skating drill Sunday at practice. ... With his first-period goal, RW Josh Jooris became the 17th different Coyote to score during the past 10 games. ... The Coyotes started G Louis Domingue against the Oilers rather than play Mike Smith in back-to-back games. ... Coyotes LW Lawson Crouse, who sustained a lower-body injury Saturday, didn't accompany the Coyotes on their road trip. ... The Oilers split up C Connor McDavid and RW Leon Draisaitl, breaking up their most productive line in the hope it would result in a more balanced offense. ... Oilers D Darnell Nurse is practicing with the team again, eight weeks after surgery to repair an ankle, and he is expected back in the lineup within a week or so.