Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – Tobias Rieder scored two straight short-
handed goals to ignite an unrelenting Arizona Coyotes attack en route to a 5-2
victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Martin Erat and Oliver Ekman-Larsson both scored, Mikkel Boedker had a goal
and an assist and Mike Smith made 25 saves for the Coyotes, who ended a three-
game skid.
Jordan Eberle and Jeff Petry each scored for the Oilers, who lost their 10th
straight game. Viktor Fasth allowed all five goals on 24 shots.
Edmonton has now lost 10 consecutive games for the first time since March
8-31, 2011.
The Oilers took an early lead just 21 seconds into a Zbynek Michalek roughing
minor. Taylor Hall raced up the left side and blasted a shot off the left
shoulder of Smith, who was unable to control the rebound. Eberle was there to
backhand it home 5:37 into the contest.
Edmonton started the second period with 1:49 of power-play time due to a Shane
Doan roughing penalty, but it was Arizona, particularly Rieder, that took
advantage of it to spark a four-goal middle stanza.
Rieder stripped an opposing player of the puck in the neutral zone and
embarked on a breakaway before sliding the puck through Fasth’s pads for a
tie game just 36 seconds into the second.
It was the rookie forward again 58 seconds later. He received a stretch pass
from Martin Hanzal, eluded a sliding defender and finished the play with a
wrist shot to give Edmonton the lead.
Moments later, Ekman-Larsson took a feed from Keith Yandle, skated across the
top of the slot and slapped a shot past a screened Fasth for a 3-1 advantage
on the power play.
With just over eight minutes to play in the second, Nail Yakupov fired a shot
just a few from the top of the crease, but Smith made a brilliant glove save
to deny the Edmonton forward.
Boedker tucked a rebound into the net with 17 seconds left in the second to
cap the Coyotes’ impressive stanza.
Erat continued Arizona’s offensive outburst with the team’s fifth straight
goal 2:03 into the third, but Petry’s shot from the point got past Smith for a
5-2 game over two minutes later.
Game Notes
Smith is now 10-1-1 in 14 career games against Edmonton … Rieder tallied the
first two short-handed goals of his career … Edmonton has not won in
regulation against Arizona since a 4-3 victory on Jan. 25, 2011 … The
Coyotes have registered at least a point in 16 straight games against the
Oilers … Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy left the game with an upper-body
injury … The season series resumes Dec. 16 in Arizona.
