Gagner with four-points as Coyotes hand Oilers eighth straight loss

EDMONTON - Sam Gagner had two goals and two assists as the Arizona Coyotes snapped a two-game losing skid, coming away with a 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Martin Erat, Keith Yandle and Brandon Gormley also scored for the Coyotes (12-18-4), who won for just the third time in their last 13 games— all three of those victories coming against Edmonton.

Justin Schultz replied for the Oilers (7-21-7), who have now lost eight in a row and 19 of their past 20 games.

The Oilers still only have one win against Western Conference opponents as well, sitting at a troubling 1-17-6 in that category.

Arizona took a 1-0 lead 1:44 into the first period on the game's first shot. Gagner took a hopeful bad-angle shot on net that somehow got past Edmonton starting goalie Ben Scrivens for his fourth goal of the season.

The Coyotes scored on their third shot of the game as well, five minutes into the contest. Connor Murphy sent a point shot on net that Erat tipped into the goal. Scrivens was then given the hook, with Viktor Fasth coming in to replace him.

Edmonton got one of those early goals back just over a minute later as a Schultz shot was inadvertently deflected by Coyote B.J. Crombeen past his own goalie, Devan Dubnyk.

The Oilers ended up outshooting Arizona 13-8 through 20 minutes.

The Coyotes made it 3-1 eight minutes into the second period as Doan spotted a wide-open Yandle streaking in from the point and fed him the puck from behind the net to set up a cannon of a shot that beat Fasth.

Arizona took a 5-1 lead early in the third period on goals just 13 seconds apart.

The first one came four minutes in as a shot from Gormley that was going well wide hit defender Oscar Klefbom's left skate and caromed into the Oiler net.

Gormley factored in on the next goal as well, as his point shot was tipped by Gagner for his second goal of the game.

Both teams take a holiday break until Dec. 27 when the Oilers will travel down the road to face the Calgary Flames and the Coyotes return home to take on the Anaheim Ducks.

Notes: It was the final of five games this season between the Oilers and Coyotes. Arizona won the first four encounters, accounting for more than a quarter of their 11 wins this season coming into the match-up… The Coyotes entered the game riding a 17-game point streak against the Oilers, the longest point streak against the same opponent in franchise history. The Coyotes last lost in regulation to Edmonton on Jan. 25, 2011… Former Oiler Sam Gagner had just one point in his first four games against Edmonton this season… Oilers rookie Leon Draisaitl returned to the lineup after sitting out against Dallas, the first time this season the 2014 third overall draft pick has been a healthy scratch… Edmonton forward Matt Hendricks was out with an illness, paving the way for the return of Luke Gazdic… Also out for the Oilers were Benoit Pouliot (foot) and Nikita Nikitin (back)… Returning from a lower-body injury was Arizona defenceman Brandon Gormley, however, Lauri Korpikoski (lower body) remained out.