Domi's hat trick, Ekman-Larrson's OT winner rally Coyotes by Oilers
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Max Domi acknowledged there was some luck involved in his first career hat trick. Domi's team, the Arizona Coyotes, might be feeling a little fortunate these days, too.
Oliver Ekman-Larrson scored on a power play with 9 seconds left in overtime and the Coyotes came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
The surging Coyotes are 8-1-2 in their past 11 games and have earned a point in six straight. They are 10-1-2 against Pacific Division foes.
Domi, a rookie who was the Coyotes' first draft pick in 2013, hadn't scored a goal in more than a month. But he has 13 on the season.
"Just to help the team in any way possible is what makes it so special," he said. "Sometimes the puck goes in for you, sometimes it doesn't. I was a little lucky out there and we'll definitely take that."
After scoring two third-period goals, the Coyotes have at least one in 10 consecutive games and 18 overall in the final period.
Louis Domingue made 25 saves for his fourth straight win, improving to 7-0-2 as a starter. Ekman-Larrson assisted on all three of Domi's goals. He also set a career high with four points and equaled his career best for assists in a game.
"He's been unbelievable all season," Ekman-Larsson said of Domi. "It's not all about scoring points, and he's been working hard every single day."
Arizona forced overtime with two third-period goals by Domi, both on the power play. He hadn't put the puck in the net since Dec. 4 when he had two goals at Buffalo.
The Coyotes have five hat tricks this season to lead the NHL.
Arizona's power play was 3 for 4 and almost had another score, but Domi's first goal, in the second period, came just as the Oilers returned to full strength.
Leon Draisaitl and Jordan Schultz each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who lost their third straight game and have dropped six of eight. Jordan Eberle added three assists and has seven points in five games.
"It's just tough to swallow because when you think we play well and the result is obviously not what you want, it's frustrating," Eberle said.
Edmonton took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on Draisaitl's goal at 18:43. Schultz made it 2-0 after he took Eberle's pass through traffic on the power play and scored at 6:13 of the second period.
Domi made it 2-1, but Benoit Pouliot redirected Schultz's shot past Domingue only 1:02 into the third period for a 3-1 Oilers lead. Edmonton was 2 for 3 on the power play.
"We finally got the power play going and the penalty kill disappears," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "It's ever evolving with our team."
The Coyotes rallied with Domi scoring twice in 3:01. His third goal drew a smattering of caps from the stands.
Arizona looked drained when the game went to 3-on-3 in overtime and the Oilers saw a shot roll through the crease just in front of the net, their best chance to win in the extra 5 minutes. Ekman-Larrson's wrister eluded Anders Nilsson to win it.
Nilsson finished with 27 saves.
"It was young skill that got us through," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.
NOTES: Tippett, the franchise leader in wins, coached his 500th career game. ... Ekman-Larsson's six game-winning goals lead NHL defensemen. ... Luke Gadzic and Matt Hendricks were out of the Edmonton lineup. Hendricks began serving a three-game suspension for boarding. ... Steve Downie, John Scott and Stefan Elliott were scratched for Arizona. ... Arizona is 22-2-4 against Edmonton under Tippett.
