Coyotes rally for victory, end Oilers win streak

GLENDALE, Ariz. --The Arizona Coyotes needed a win, having lost five of their previous six games.
Playing the Edmonton Oilers continues to be the perfect tonic.
Shane Doan tied it in the third period, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored the deciding goal in the shootout to give the Coyotes a 3-2 victory against the Oilers at Gila River Arena on Friday.

Arizona is 20-0-4 in its past 24 games against Edmonton, the longest point streak in the NHL since the Oilers went 24 games without a loss to the Vancouver Canucks from 1985-88.
WATCH: All Oilers vs. Coyotes highlights
"We needed a win. Whatever the number is against them doesn't matter; this was the one we wanted," said Doan, who ended a 17-game goal drought dating to the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 15. "There are a lot of different players here and over there now. It's just about playing."
Max Domi also scored for the Coyotes (7-10-2), and Mike Smith made 32 saves, including 12 in the third period and overtime.
Connor McDavid, who scored his 10th goal in the first period, appeared to give Edmonton the overtime win, but video review showed his shot crossed the goal line just after time expired.
Adam Larsson also scored for the Oilers (12-8-2), who lost for the first time in four games. Cam Talbot made 38 saves.

Edmonton will go for its first regulation win against Arizona since Jan. 25, 2011, in the second game of their home-and-home Sunday.
"We definitely weren't our best tonight and I think the real positive of that is we get another crack … on Sunday," said McDavid, whose 28 points lead the NHL. "We gave up way too many chances, way too many shots on net. [Talbot] was great back there, kept us in it all night and gave us a chance to win."
The Coyotes had a season-high 20 shots in the first period but found themselves behind by two goals 17:29 into the game.
McDavid scored on a breakaway at 1:31 to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. He has nine points (five goals, four assists) in the past four games.
Larsson made it 2-0 when he one-timed a cross-ice pass from defense partner Oscar Klefbom past Smith for his second goal of the season, first in 11 games.
Arizona answered nine seconds later when Vrbata found Domi in the slot, and Domi got off a wobbly shot that beat Talbot at 17:38 to make it 2-1. Domi has six goals in six career games against Edmonton.
Doan tied it 2-2 at 8:06 of the third when he deflected an Tony DeAngelo shot past Talbot for his 398th NHL goal.

Goal of the game

An ill-advised pinch by Arizona defenseman Connor Murphy gave McDavid a breakaway from the Coyotes blue line. Smith went for a poke-check, but McDavid calmly shifted the puck and beat him over the shoulder on the first shift of his first game in Arizona.

Save of the game

Smith's quick-reaction pad save on Oilers forward Tyler Pitlick at 12:54 of the third period kept it tied 2-2.

Highlight of the game

Almost every time McDavid touched the puck. He had four shots on goal and constantly created offense with his speed and passing ability. He also came within one tick of scoring an overtime winner.

They said it

"It was ugly in some parts of the game, but overall we managed a way to get it done." -- Coyotes forward Max Domi

"I didn't think we were very sharp as a team. We didn't have the same jump and execution level we've had lately. We probably weren't sharp enough for two points tonight." -- Oilers coach Todd McLellan

Need to know

Coyotes forward Laurent Dauphin left the game at 8:54 of the third period after he appeared to injure his right hand blocking an Andrej Sekera shot. … Arizona forward Radim Vrbata scored his 43rd NHL shootout goal in the top half of the second round, passing Frans Nielsen of the Detroit Red Wings for most in League history. He is 43-for-98 (.439) in his career.

What's next

Oilers: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; SN, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: At the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; SN, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)