Oilers Outlast Coyotes on McDavid’s OT Winner
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Connor McDavid scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.
McDavid beat Darcy Kuemper from out front 58 seconds into the extra period for the Oilers, who are 8-3-1 in their last 12 games while making a late playoff push. It was the third overtime goal of the season for McDavid, who also had an assist earlier in the game.
Matt Benning also scored for Edmonton, and Mikko Koskinen made 28 saves to win for the sixth time in his last seven starts.
Alex Galchenyuk had his third two-goal game of the season for the Coyotes, who lost for just the fourth time in their last 14 games. Arizona remained one point behind Dallas for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
McDavid has 36 goals this season and is on an 11-game point streak. He has a point in 19 of his last 20 games and has seven straight multipoint games, with three goals and 13 assists during that stretch. McDavid is second in the league with 103 points.
Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves for the Coyotes while making his 13th consecutive start.
Edmonton Oilers left wing Milan Lucic is stopped by Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
McDavid scored his first short-handed goal of the season 3 1/2 minutes into the game to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. He broke around Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the right side and beat Kuemper with a back-hander high on the glove side.
Galchenyuk scored his eighth power-play goal of the season to tie it at 1 at 18:24 of the first period. Galchenyuk leads the Coyotes with 17 goals.
Benning and Galchenyuk scored 12 seconds apart early in the second period to tie it at 2.
The Coyotes had a chance to take the lead, but Brad Richardson and Conor Garland each hit the right post in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the second period and the game remained tied.
NOTES: With 11 games remaining, McDavid is on pace to surpass his career high of 108 points, set last season. … Edmonton began a stretch of five games in eight days Saturday. … Rock star Alice Cooper, a Phoenix native, dropped the ceremonial first puck.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Play the second game of three-game trip at Las Vegas on Sunday, finishing the 10th of their 11 back-to-backs this season.
Coyotes: Play the first game of a four-game Eastern trip at Tampa Bay on Monday. Michael Grabner scored two short-handed goals in the Coyotes’ 7-1 victory Oct. 27, the Lightning’s most lopsided loss of the season.
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Jack Magruder, The Associated Press
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