McDavid scores twice, Sheahan has four points to help Oilers top Coyotes

EDMONTON-- Riley Sheahan had a goal and three assists for his first four-point game in the NHL, and the Edmonton Oilers won 7-3 against the Arizona Coyotes at Rogers Place on Saturday.

Connor McDavid scored two goals, Josh Archibald had a goal and two assists, and Mike Smith made 27 saves for Edmonton (26-18-5), which has won five of six. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two assists.
"It was a fun game, one of those where you're getting the bounces and the puck feels good on your stick," Sheahan said. "I thought our line Sam Gagner and Alex Chiasson] did a good job playing in the O zone and creating some chances. I think just supporting our top guys, they get such a heavy load on their shoulders, it's nice to provide some secondary scoring, and I think we've been doing a good job of that lately. Tonight was fun."
[WATCH: [All Oilers vs. Coyotes highlights]
Conor Garland had two assists for Arizona (26-20-5), which has lost two in a row and five of six. Antti Raanta gave up six goals on 18 shots before being pulled after two periods in his first start after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Adin Hill made eight saves in the third period.
"I thought we came out slow from the beginning and gave up a couple bad goals, stuff like that," Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. "Obviously, we've been struggling a little bit when we don't feel 100 per cent and don't have our legs, but we've got to find a way to stick around in games and find ways to get points out of it. So, it's a tough one. They wanted it a little bit more today."
It was the final game before the All-Star break for each team.

Archibald scored 3:56 into the first period on a shorthanded breakaway to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. Gagner scored at 14:02 on a setup from Sheahan to make it 2-0. Kailer Yamamoto made it 3-0 at 16:06.
"This is really big especially going into the break, it's a good feeling, everybody is happy and morale is up," Archibald said. "Even in the standings, to be able to get this win and come out on top, it's a good feeling tonight."
McDavid scored at 1:00 of the second period for a 4-0 lead, and Joakim Nygard scored at 4:49 to make it 5-0.
Taylor Hall made it 5-1 at 5:20 to extend his point streak to four games. Christian Dvorak made it 5-2 on the power play at 9:13.
"It was a couple of mistakes, I mean, they had 10 shots and they had five goals that are in the back of your net," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "Some are preventable, a couple of mismanaged pucks from a couple of people and obviously a couple saves here that you want and all of a sudden, you're chasing the game. It's tough to chase a game when you're down three or 4-0."

McDavid converted a centering pass from Archibald at 16:06 to make it 6-2. Derek Stepan scored on a pass from Phil Kessel at 5:42, but Oilers coach Dave Tippett challenged for offside, and the goal was waved off after video review showed Clayton Keller entered the Edmonton zone ahead of the puck at 5:38.
"I like the way our team is playing lately," Tippett said. "We came out with purpose tonight. We knew we had to play well going into the break. I liked the way we checked, our gaps on our D were pretty good. There were things that we did in the game that our group has been talking about here that are keys to us playing well and we have done a pretty good job at them."
Ekman-Larsson scored on the power play at 11:12 to make it 6-3.
Sheahan scored into an empty net with Hill on the bench for an extra attacker at 16:14 to make it 7-3.
"There's 31 games left, we need this break to get some individuals going here," Tippett said. "We know it, but we're happy with the effort for the most part. This month has been a little bit inconsistent. Some players have to understand it's hard to win in this league and they've got to be consistent, and that's something over these nine days, make sure you stay in shape, get your mind right. That's a lot of the mental part of this break, is make sure you get your mind right."

They said it

"It's going to take a lot of hard work the last 41 games, and we know that. We're in a good spot still, it's just a matter of keep winning hockey games and keep getting better. That's what we want to focus on when we get back after the break." -- Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson
"They got the numbers and the points [Saturday], but they've been playing like that for a while. You have to count on your depth and our depth has been really good for the last stretch. We have to keep that up and make the most of it." -- Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse on Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald combining for seven points

Need to know

Arizona gave up seven goals for the second time this season. They lost 8-5 against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 19. … Hall, who has four goals and three assists during his point streak, has 15 points (seven goals and eight assists) in 16 games with Arizona. … Draisaitl extended his point streak to eight games (five goals, nine assists), marking the third time he's had a streak of at least eight games this season. … Nurse did not have a point but was a game-high plus-5. … McDavid extended his point streak to six games (five goals, seven assists).

What's next

Coyotes: At the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 29 (10 p.m. ET; PRIME, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)
Oilers: Host the Calgary Flames on Jan. 29 (10 p.m. ET; SN360, SNE, SNO, SNW, TVAS, NHL.TV)