Oilers finally find way to beat Coyotes
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan always wants his team to start strong, but it was especially important on Wednesday in Arizona. The Coyotes were 21-0-4 against the Oilers in the teams' last 25 meetings and Coyotes goalie Mike Smith owned a 15-1-1 lifetime record against Edmonton.
"We're going to have to start well and find ways to beat him with the old cliches of traffic and volume shooting and screens and deflections. It's nothing that this group hasn't talked about the 20 other times we've played him."
Mark Letestu and Milan Lucic heeded their coach's call by scoring first-period goals, the Oilers got two goals from their fourth line and Cam Talbot made 28 saves as Edmonton beat Arizona, 3-2, at Gila River Arena to snap the longest points streak in the NHL since Philadelphia went 32 straight against the Los Angeles Kings from Oct. 22, 1974 to Feb 5, 1983.
Arizona got goals from Martin Hanzal and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and 19 saves from Mike Smith, but dropped its third straight game while playing its 20th one-goal game of the season.
Edmonton took a 1-0 lead at 8:13 of the first period when Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski turned the puck over in the neutral zone, leading to some sustained Oilers pressure in Arizona's zone. Right winger Zack Kassian found center Mark Letestu at the right hash mark and Letestu's one-timer slid under goalie Mike Smith's pad. The Coyotes argued that left winger Matt Hendricks was in the crease and interfering with Smith's stick, but the goal was allowed.
Edmonton widened its lead to 2-0 on a power play with Arizona defenseman Jakob Chychrun in the penalty box for tripping. Letestu tried to pass the puck to Milan Lucic at the left post, but the puck caromed off Lucic's skate and into the net at 15:07 of the first period for Lucic's 10th goal of the season.
Hendricks made it 3-0 Edmonton on a fortunate bounce for his first goal of the season at 2:16 of the second period. Letetsu's shot bounced off the end boards and onto Hendricks' stick at the far post. His high shot beat Smith and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who tried to kick his leg out in the way of the shot.
Arizona got one back on a power play with Edmonton's Benoit Pouliot in the box for hooking. Radim Vrbata's slap shot from the left circle caromed off an Oilers stick and then center Martin Hanzal deflected it again for his seventh goal of the season and Vrbata's team-leading 21st point at 11:19 of the second period.
Ekman-Larsson banged in a rebound during a goal-mouth scramble with five seconds remaining to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Coyotes ran out of time.
NOTES: Coyotes rookie LW Brendan Perlini was back in the lineup on Wednesday in place of recently acquired waiver claim, Josh Jooris. Perlini, the team's 2014 first-round pick, has two goals in eight games. ... Oilers RW Jesse Puljujarvi was also back in the lineup after a two-game absence as a healthy scratch. Puljujarvi has played just two of the last six games while dealing with what coach Todd McLellan termed a minor injury. ... Puljujarvi drew back into the lineup for RW Tyler Pitlick, who left the team Tuesday to fly back to Edmonton with a leg injury suffered Monday in St Louis. Pitlick was sent crashing into the boards after colliding with the Blues' Jori Lehtera. After trying to get up, Pitlick collapsed to the ice and was not able to put any weight on his leg, per the Edmonton Sun, which did not specify which leg.