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 "That's the past," the Arizona Coyotes coach said.
There is no denying the present, however. Not after Thursday's
contest at Gila River Arena.
After spotting an opponent the lead for the fourth straight game,
Arizona stormed back with four unanswered goals to defeat the Oilers
for the sixth straight time 4-1.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, right winger Shane Doan, defenseman
Stefan Elliott and left winger Max Domi scored for Arizona, which
won its third straight game behind 27 saves from goalie Mike Smith.
Left winger Taylor Hall had the lone goal for the Oilers, who got 17
saves from Anders Nilsson.
"We didn't create enough to beat them tonight," Oilers right winger
Leon Draisaitl said. "We knew they wouldn't give us much, but when
you know that, I think that's when you really have to pull together
and try and create as much as possible."
With the win, the Coyotes stretched their points streak against the
Oilers to 19 games, their longest points streak against the same
opponent in franchise history. Since Tippett became the coach in
2009-10, the Coyotes are 21-2-3 against Edmonton in his tenure.
The Coyotes haven't lost to Edmonton since Jan. 25, 2011.
"I didn't realize it had been that long," Doan said. "I'm glad I
didn't know that before the game."
It may not have mattered.
Hall put Edmonton on top just 3:03 into the first period on a
perfectly executed give-and-go with Draisaitl.
Hall gave Draisaitl the puck on the left wing and then cut to the
net in front of Arizona defenseman Michael Stone to receive the
feed. Hall's backhand slipped through Smith for his team-leading
seventh goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Just as they had done in their two previous games, however, the
Coyotes rallied. Ekman-Larsson evened the score when his shot from
the far boards found its way through heavy traffic and Nilsson at
16:49 of the first period.
Ekman-Larsson recorded his first goal since opening night against
the Los Angeles Kings. Center Brad Richardson created a perfect
screen.
Doan gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead off a slick feed from Domi to the
doorstep for a tap-in at 13:47 of the second period. It was Doan's
116th career power-play goal, moving him within six of Dale
Hawerchuk for the franchise record. It was also Arizona's third
power-play goal in the past four games after the team managed just
five through the first 12.
"I think he did it maybe half the games, maybe a third," Doan said
in deference to Hawerchuk, a boyhood idol. "I'm a big fan and I
think he's a special guy that didn't ever get the recognition he
deserved."
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Elliott padded the Coyotes' lead when he banged in the rebound of
left winger John Scott's shot from the top of the circle at 17:29 of
the second period.
It was Elliott's first goal and point as a Coyote since coming over
in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche for Brandon Gormley. Scott
earned his first point as a Coyote in just his fourth game in
uniform.
Domi scored his eighth goal of the season when he swiped home a
cross-ice pass from Stone at 11:28 of the third period for a 4-1
lead. Domi leads all rookies in goals and is second in points (15),
one behind Chicago's Artemi Panarin.
"We didn't give up a lot of chances," said Nilsson, who was
auditioning for Edmonton's No.1 goalie spot. "Unfortunately, I
wasn't able to make those extra saves that the team needed tonight."
The Coyotes are now an impressive 5-1 against Pacific Division teams
and 6-2 against the Western Conference.
"You've got to put an emphasis on your division because that's one
of the ways you get into the playoffs," Tippett said. "Do you play
any different? No, you don't play any different, but you certainly
recognize it's an opponent that you can have a bearing on the
standings against."
NOTES: Coyotes C Boyd Gordon faced his former team for the first
time since the Oilers traded him to the Coyotes during the
offseason. ... Coyotes D Nicklas Grossmann (lower body) and RW Joe
Vitale (fractured orbital bone) are on injured reserve. Grossmann is
considered day-to-day and could return for the team's four-game trip
that begins Saturday in Columbus. ... Coyotes rookie LW Max Domi was
hoping to play against Oilers C Connor McDavid, a fellow rookie who
is out for months with a broken collarbone. "You never want to see
anybody out of the lineup, let alone great players," said Domi, who,
like McDavid, is an early candidate for rookie of the year. ...
Oilers LW Matt Hendricks (undisclosed) D Justin Schultz (back, IR)
and LW Benoit Pouliot (sick) missed the game. ... Oilers LW Lauri
Korpikoski (undisclosed) and LW Rob Klinkhammer (foot), a pair of
former Coyotes, also missed the game. Both are on injured reserve.
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