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National Hockey League
Edmonton 4, Arizona 3
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 2, 2016
Where: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Referees: Marc Joannette, Brad Meier
Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Don Henderson
Attendance: 16839

EDMONTON, Alberta - Center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the shootout winner and the Edmonton Oilers brought their four-game losing streak to an end with a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.

Left winger Matt Hendricks also scored in the shootout for Edmonton, while left winger Mikkel Boedker got one for Arizona.

Oilers coach Todd McLellan had rave review for Nugent-Hopkins's performance, which also included an assist on Jordan Eberle's game-tying goal.

"I thought Nuge had a really good game; I don't know what anybody else thought, but standing back there, I wanted to keep putting him on the ice," said McLellan. "He battled, he stripped pucks, he created a great opportunity for Ebs ... and I just felt real confident with him, I felt confident with that line."

The teams went into the third period tied 2-2 and traded goals in the final frame.

Coyotes rookie left winger Max Domi launched a rink-wide saucer pass on a two-on-one break to winger and fellow rookie Anthony Duclair, who one-timed the puck into the top corner at 5:51 of the third period. The goal was a masterpiece of hand-eye coordination.

Domi credited defenseman Klas Dahlbeck for springing the two-on-one rush.

"(Dahlbeck) made a great play to get it out and me and (Duclair) were gone with a lot of speed and we practice that play a lot in practice. I just gave him the puck and he was able to finish, it was a nice goal."

With 5:52 left in regulation, right winger Eberle scored his second goal of the game, roofing a backhand past Coyotes netminder Louis Domingue after Nugent-Hopkins provided the pass from behind the goal.

Eberle got the goal despite getting hit with a shot from defenseman Eric Gryba earlier in the shift. He had given consideration to heading towards the bench for some treatment.

"Gryba, he wristed one towards the net and it hit me in the arm," said Eberle. "It usually doesn't hurt, but he hit me right in the funny bone and the arm went numb for 15 seconds. I thought about going (to the bench), but Nuge made a really good spin move so I thought I'd go to the net and Nuge, the player that he is, found a way to beat two guys with a pass and put me in alone."

When the game got to overtime, the Coyotes' incredible streak of games without a regulation loss to Edmonton was extended to 20. The Coyotes have not been beaten in regulation by the Oilers since Jan. 25, 2011.

"We missed an assignment in our own end and gave them a chance to tie it up, and then it was a tight game," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. "(There were) some chances here and there ... but you get to the shootout, anything can happen."

Said McLellan: "It was a good night for us in the big picture, we needed it. We persevered, fought back, didn't fold our hand."

Only 6:56 into the first period, the Coyotes opened the scoring when left winger Jordan Martinook threaded a pass through two Oilers and onto the stick right winger Steve Downie in the slot. Downie was left with a simple tap-in.

Only 59 seconds later, the Oilers tied it on a similar play, with center Leon Draisaitl funneling a pass from the corner for Taylor Hall to tap past Domingue.

At 11:39, Eberle scored on the power play, ripping a shot past Domingue after center Mark Letestu made a clever pass in the slot.

The Oilers had plenty of chances to extend their lead in the second period, but Domingue made several excellent stops, including point-blank saves on Hall and left winger Benoit Pouliot.

With starter Mike Smith injured, Domingue, who began the season with the Coyotes' American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass., has taken over as the team's starter.

Domingue's work was rewarded when the Coyotes tied the game 2-2 with 5:30 left in the second period. Right winger Brad Richardson found the puck in a scramble and poked it through the pads of Oilers goalie Cam Talbot.

NOTES: The NHL announced that Coyotes LW John Scott, who has one point this season and has played in just 11 games, won the Pacific Division fan vote and will be a captain at the All-Star Game. ... The Coyotes scratched Scott along with LW Craig Cunningham and D Stefan Elliott. ... C Connor McDavid, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, is practicing with the Oilers. He broke his clavicle on Nov. 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers. ... Joining McDavid on the Oilers' injured reserve list are D Andrew Ference (undisclosed), D Oscar Klefbom (undisclosed) and RW Nail Yakupov (ankle). ... As of Saturday, the Oilers have lost 154 man games to injury; the team lost 250 man games all of last season. ... Oilers LW Rob Klinkhammer (ankle) returned to the Oilers' lineup. He last played Dec. 15. ... The Coyotes have four players on injured reserve: C Martin Hanzal (lower body), C Boyd Gordon (upper body), C Joe Vitale (upper body) and G Mike Smith (lower body). ... The Oilers scratched D Mark Fayne, RW Iiro Pakarinen and LW Luke Gazdic.
Top Game Performances
 
Arizona   Edmonton
Brad Richardson 2 Points Jordan Eberle 2
Brad Richardson 1 Goals Jordan Eberle 2
Klas Dahlbeck 2 Assists Benoit Pouliot 2
N/A Power Play Goals Jordan Eberle 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Louis Domingue .927 Save Percentage Cameron Talbot .912
Louis Domingue 38 Saves Cameron Talbot 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Arizona 34 3 0-3 3-4 10 38
Edmonton 41 4 1-4 3-3 8 37
Upcoming Games
  • Edmonton will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Oilers have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .360 after a loss.
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against Vancouver. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .500 after a loss.