Arizona Coyotes falter against Edmonton Oilers

In the last meeting with the Oilers, they come out on top. The season series ends at 2-3-0, and the winning streak ends at two games yet again.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0 Arizona - Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Luke Schenn play catch at the blue line, giving it back to one another before OEL decides to pull the trigger and throw the puck on net. With a mass of bodies in front of the net the puck somehow makes its way through traffic, bouncing off Jordan Martinook and then Josh Jooris who redirects the shot just before it reaches Cam Talbot, allowing it to roll in for Jooris’s third of the season. Assists to Martinook Ekman-Larsson at 10:44.

Second Period

1-1 Tie - A great keep in by Olaf Klefbom on the Oilers’ power play sends the puck deep behind the net to Milan Lucic. Lucic then passes the puck to the front of the net where Leon Draisaitl beats his man and takes a backhanded shot from close range. Domingue makes an excellent stick save on the first attempt but the rebound falls right back onto Draisaitl’s stick and he’s able to shoot it in on his second attempt. Assists to Lucic and Klefbom at 2:51.

2-1 Edmonton - On the play immediately after the power play, a scrum forms in front of Louis Domingue with players whacking at the puck from every angle. Domingue, who appears unaware of where the puck is at one point, lies down attempting to cover the puck in desperation. Unfortunately the puck was still in front of him and as he lies down he opens his five-hole for Matt Hendricks to slip the puck through and into the back of the net. Dave Tippett challenged the goal for a cross check on the play that led to goaltender interference, however the call on the ice stood as a good goal. Assists to Iiro Pakarinen and Mark Letestu at 3:22.

2-2 Tie - On the play immediately after the Hendricks goal, Hanzal receives a beautiful cross zone pass from Max Domi boards to boards after the two enter the zone. Hanzal one times in an excellent shot, catching a sleepy Cam Talbot off-guard. Assists to Domi and Radim Vrbata at 3:33.

3-2 Edmonton - On a 5 on 3 power the Oilers offense cycle the puck around with smoothly, forcing the Coyotes to collapse toward Domingue. With the extra space, the Edmonton forwards close in and set up shooting positions in the slot. One slot to slot pass later by Connor McDavid, Mark Letestu has the puck in the back of the net through a hole between Domingue and the right post as Domingue didn’t anticipate the pass early enough to move post to post in time to make the save. Assists to McDavid and Draisaitl at 10:24.

Third Period

4-2 Edmonton- Leon Draisaitl feeds a pass to Anton Slepyshev who feeds Oscar Klefbom was in a good pinch who rifles it past Domingue. The Coyotes are starting to look tired with that goal going in at 2:43.

5-2 Edmonton- The Oilers crash the net and Patrick Maroon takes down OEL as he shoves the puck in past Domingue. Assists go to Oscar Klefbom and Connor McDavid at 6:29.

Three Answers

1. Can the Coyotes clamp down on shots allowed? - The Coyotes allowed 33 shots this evening, being outshot by eight shots. The defense played like they played the night before. It was not
2. What will the Coyotes get in net? - Louis Domingue got his first start in net tonight since facing the Minnesota Wild on January 19th. Tonight Domingue went five goals against on thirty-three shots for a save percentage of .848, which is less than optimal.
3. Can the Coyotes keep the shot attempts close? - Not even remotely. The Coyotes wheels started to come off during the second period where they only recorded four shots on goal and not that many attempts. The Coyotes were playing like a tired team for most of the game.

Players of the Game

Arizona - Martin Hanzal- Hanzal was the most engaged Coyote in the loss, keeping his game on par with his latest hot streak. He got a goal in the loss, but is keeping his head even with trade rumors starting to swirl about him.

Edmonton - Leon Draisaitl- Draisaitl had a goal and two assists for the Oilers this evening and he continues to be an amazing young player for the Oilers.

Paw Prints

• For more on the Edmonton Oilers, check out Copper & Blue.
• After smashing the Calgary Flames, the Coyotes made no changes to their lineup except in net, as Jakob Chychrun, Peter Holland and Lawson Crouse (lower body injury) remained scratched.

• Tonight was You Can Play night at Rogers Place. You Can Play is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Good on the Oilers for working with YCP to help make the greatest game on Earth as inclusive as possible for everyone.
• Elsewhere today, State Senator Bob Worsley had a special funding bill passed which seeks to aid the Coyotes through potentially funding a new Arena.
• Tonight was Jamie McGinn’s 500th NHL game. He entered the game with 99 NHL goals as well.
• After taking a hit from Drake Caggiula 2 minutes into the second period, Michael Stone limped off the ice and went down into the rooms after chatting to the trainers on the bench. He returned to the ice late in the second period.
• At 16:03 of the second period, Ryan White had his head sandwiched between an Eric Gryba check and the boards behind the Oilers’ net. White was slow off the ice and went down into the rooms immediately. He did return for the start of the third period.
• The Coyotes only recorded four shots in the second of the period.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson got hit awkwardly but Iiro Pakarinen. He went to the bench in pain but was back on the ice for his next shift on the power play.
• Tyson Nash noted that Edmonton coach Todd McLellan was trying to avoid having Connor McDavid on the ice at the same time as Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and instead tried to play McDavid against Alex Goligoski as often as possible.

Looking Ahead

The Coyotes now fly south to Los Angeles for their final game on the road before returning home to Arizona. They face the Kings on Thursday night, puck drop is at 8:30pm Arizona time and the game can be viewed on Fox Sports Arizona or tuned into on AZ Sports 98.7 FM.