|
 "Not really," Domi said. "The team is winning, and that's all that
really matters. Everyone is happy around here. When you are going
through tough times, you just grind it out.
"I actually got a haircut today, so maybe that was it."
Domi scored two power-play goals in the third period when the
Coyotes erased a two-goal deficit, and defenseman Oliver
Ekman-Larsson's slap shot through traffic with 8.9 seconds remaining
in overtime gave the Coyotes a 4-3 victory.
Ekman-Larsson also had three assists and set a career high with four
points for the Coyotes (22-16-4), who have one regulation loss in
their 11 games, when they are 8-1-2. They have won a season-high
four straight.
"Tonight it was young skill that got us through," said coach Dave
Tippett, who coached his 500th game with the Coyotes.
Domi scored his first goal in the second period just as a power play
ended but before the Oilers could get a fifth defender into the
zone.
After Oilers left winger Benoit Pouliot scored his 10th goal of the
season on a power play for a 3-1 lead 58 seconds into the third
period, Domi scored twice in 3:01 to tie the game at 6:54.
"It's pretty cool. Just to help the team out in any way possible,
that's what makes it so special," Domi said.
"Sometimes the puck goes in for you, sometimes it doesn't. I was a
little lucky out there. You grind it out and work on little things
and then hoping one day you are lucky, and that's kind of what
happened tonight."
Domi, a rookie, has 13 goals and 31 points while playing in all 42
games. His father, Tie, had 104 goals in an 18-year career. He
scored as many as two games in a game four times.
Domi had not scored a goal since a two-goal game at Buffalo on Dec.
4, although he had five assists.
"I think he's been unbelievable all season," said Ekman-Larsson, who
has six game-winning goals this season. "It's not all about scoring
points, and he's working hard every single day."
Center Leon Draisaitl and Pouliot had a goal and an assist for the
Oilers, and right winger Jordan Eberle had three assists.
[to top of second column] |
Edmonton (17-23-3) has lost three in a row and is 3-6-2 in the past
11 games.
The Coyotes have a point in their last 21 games against Edmonton,
dating from March 17, 2011.
The Oilers controlled the puck for about two minutes on one shift
midway through overtime and had several chances as the Coyotes could
not make a line change. The Coyotes scored shortly after goaltender
Louis Domingue held the puck to get a stoppage.
"We had three or four quality chances, and if one of those goes in
it's a different story," Eberle said of the long overtime shift.
"Obviously the way it turned out really sucks. Three-on-three
anything can happen. It's just tough to swallow when you think you
play well and the result is not what you want. It's frustrating."
Domingue made 25 saves and improved to 7-0-2 in his nine starts.
Edmonton goalie Anders Nilsson had 27 saves.
"We finally got the power play going and the penalty kill
disappears," Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said. "It's ever-evolving
with our team.
NOTES: RW Nail Yakupov participated in Edmonton's optional morning
skate but did not play, missing his 22nd consecutive game since
sustaining a severe ankle sprain Nov. 25. ... Coyotes G Mike Smith
skated in pads for about 15 minutes Wednesday morning, the first
time he skated since undergoing surgery to repair a torn abdominal
muscle on Dec. 15. He was expected to miss between eight to 10 weeks
and remains on that timeline, coach Dave Tippett said. ... Oilers D
Matt Hendricks served the first game of his three-game NHL
suspension for boarding Florida D Aaron Ekblad on Sunday.
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