Coyotes rebound, defeat Oilers on Stepan OT goal

EDMONTON -- Derek Stepan scored at 2:01 of overtime to give the Arizona Coyotes a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Monday.

Stepan wristed a shot from the left face-off circle after receiving a pass from Nick Schmaltz on a 2-on-1 rush.
Michael Grabner and Carl Soderberg scored, and goalie Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves for Arizona (9-4-1), which has won two straight games, four of its past five and eight of 10.
WATCH: [All Coyotes vs. Oilers highlights]
After losing defenseman Jordan Oesterle to an undisclosed injury at 9:11 of the third period after he was hit by Zack Kassian, the Coyotes allowed the Oilers to tie the game with 4:41 remaining.
"It's a big part of the NHL, when you get up a goal and you go into the third period not to sit back on your heels, and anytime you lose a defenseman, it makes it more difficult to get on your toes," Stepan said. "There is a little bit of a survival, a little bit of rope-a-dope, and that's part of it. Some nights, you just have to do it that way and find a way to get it into overtime and try to make a play."

Connor McDavid and Gaetan Haas scored for Edmonton (10-4-2), which lost for the first time in three games. Mikko Koskinen made 21 saves.
"We weren't great for the first half of the game," McDavid said. "In the second half, we found our rhythm, played fast, played with a little energy and got pucks to the net. I thought we were pretty good."
Haas tied it 2-2 at 15:19 when he tipped a shot from defenseman Matt Benning for his first NHL goal.
"It's special, for sure, but at the end we lose," Haas said. "I think we came back in the third pretty hard, and it's good that we scored this goal and we get a point. Maybe at the end (of the season) it's the point we need. It's not good if you lose, but I think it's a good point."

McDavid scored 1:31 into the game to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. He took a pass at center ice from Leon Draisaitl, skated around defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and slid the puck past Kuemper.
"For the most part, in the neutral zone, I thought we did a nice job against them," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "When those guys wind it up, you have to make sure to stay above him. If you're not above him, like McDavid's goal, one of our guys should have been above him, and we got beat wide, and that's just the way he is, he's such a talented player."
Grabner tied it 1-1 at 3:30 of the first. He stripped Draisaitl of the puck at center ice, skated into the Edmonton zone, and scored short side on Koskinen.
Soderberg scored to make it 2-1 at 8:52 of the second period, capitalizing on a turnover by defenseman Joel Persson. He skated the puck from the Coyotes blue line, fought off Persson, and shot it over Koskinen's shoulder.
Stepan scored for the first time since Arizona's season opener Oct. 3, ending a 12-game drought. It was his first goal in 16 games against Edmonton.
"It's a heck of a play by Schmaltz," Stepan said. "It starts in our own end, and he gets the puck, makes a nice move, and then he outskates guys. On the 2-on-1, he makes a nice pass over, and I'm able to find the back of the net."

They said it

"I thought we did a great job of trying to limit their rush chances, that's where they're so dangerous. They beat you quite often off of that, so we did a really responsible job of staying above them whoever was out there. It was a five-man unit defending against them." -- Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper
"It's progress to be able to find that second goal in the third period to tie the game up. In the past, we probably would have opened the game up, and a tight checking team like that, they get the puck back and make you pay." -- Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse

Need to know

Kuemper has allowed two goals or fewer in nine of his first 10 games this season, tying Zac Bierk (2002-2003), Sean Burke (2000-01) and Nikolai Khabibulin (1998-99) for most in Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets history. ... Draisaitl had his goal streak end at five games, but he extended his point streak to six games with the assist on McDavid's goal (seven goals, four assists). Draisaitl has at least one point in 14 of Edmonton's first 16 games. ... The Oilers lost for the first time this season when scoring the first goal (5-0-1).

What's next

Coyotes: At the Calgary Flames on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)
Oilers:Host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET; SN, FS-MW, NHL.TV)