Oilers nipped by Coyotes 3-2 in shootout

Edmonton's Mike Comrie carries the puck up-ice at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, AZ Saturday, April 3, 2010. The Coyotes beat the Oilers 3-2 in a shootout. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

---

PRE-GAME

Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Game Program Video interviews Audio Interviews

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Watch video highlights. Watch the shootout Oilers post-game interviews with Ethan Moreau, Ryan Whitney, Jeff Deslauriers & head coach Pat Quinn. Coyotes post-game comments from head coach Dave Tippett.

AUDIO

Pat Quinn Jeff Deslauriers Ryan Whitney Ethan Moreau

THREE STARS

Keith Yandle, PHX Daniel Winnik, PHX Matthew Lombardi, PHX

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers fall to 24-46-8.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Oilers head back to Edmonton after Saturday night's game before kicking off their final homestand of the season, which starts Monday, April 5 vs. Minnesota. The game starts at 7:30pm and will be broadcast on TSN.

The Oilers came back on two occasions to tie the Coyotes in Arizona Saturday night, eventually forcing extra time and a shootout. With 44 saves already in the game, Jeff Deslauriers added seven more in a goaltending showdown but couldn't stop Matthew Lombardi, who netted the game-winner in round eight to give Phoenix a 3-2 victory. Ryan Jones and Dustin Penner scored Edmonton's two goals.

FIRST PERIOD

The Coyotes bit first Saturday night. Less than four minutes into the game, Matthew Lombardi got the puck from Wojtek Wolski and fired on Jeff Deslauriers. The Oilers goalie missed the full stop and spun around while the puck was still in the blue paint, but he couldn't get his stick to the line in time and it slid into the net.

Radim Vrbata had a partial breakaway shortly after the goal, and although Jason Strudwick took a holding minor for attempting tying him up, the Coyotes couldn't capitalize to increase their lead.

Phoenix crafted a 5-3 shot lead as the period progressed. A second Oilers penalty, this time to Ryan Jones for cross-checking, gave the Coyotes another powerplay at 12:13, but a pair of wide shots kept the team from adding to their tally.

Just over a minute after being released from the penalty box, Jones inked his name on the scoring portion of the game sheet. With the Oilers crowding his crease, Ilya Bryzgalov stopped an initial shot but couldn't get to Jones in time as the Oiler prodded the rebound past the post to tie the game at one.

A high-sticking penalty to Taylor Pyatt helped Edmonton take control of the shot-clock, but the attempts couldn't snap the stalemate and the 1-1 game stretched into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

Phoenix dominated the early part of the middle frame, testing Deslauriers with six shots while Edmonton posted two. Four minutes in, Daniel Winnik skated up the left wing and cleanly wristed the puck over JD's left shoulder, putting the Coyotes back on top.

At the game's midway point, Lombardi and Wolski embarked on a two-on-one. Deslauriers came up with a big save to dissolve the play, but the Oilers didn't escape scot-free as Patrick O'Sullivan was assessed a slashing minor.

The penalty was the first of four in the latter half of the period, but penalty killers and goaltenders smothered the opportunities to maintain the 2-1 game.

After 40 minutes, the Oilers were down by one and 24 shots to 15.

THIRD PERIOD

The 'Yotes hit 30 shots while the Oilers toed 20 five minutes into the final frame. Two minutes later, Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Whitney shared 1:24 in the penalty box, offering Phoenix a lengthy two-man-advantage. While killing the five-on-three, Strudwick took a slashing minor, but the Oilers managed to get Cogliano back in the play before touching the puck to start their ninth penalty.

Despite all the advantages, the Coyotes couldn't sink it and dropped to 0-for-9 on the powerplay.

Buoyed by their strong penalty-killing, the Oilers gathered some momentum and transfered it to the scoreclock. On an offensive-zone face-off, the puck passed from centerman Cogliano to Tom Gilbert to Penner, who flipped the puck past Bryzgalov from a sharp angle to tie the game at two.

A late holding minor to Derek Morris ensured the Oilers would finish regulation and start overtime with a man-advantage, their third of the game.

OVERTIME

The Coyotes' shots approached the mid-40's during sudden death, but the Oilers had the most chances of the extra frame. The puck stayed out of either net, however, and the game progressed into a shootout.

SHOOTOUT

After making 44 and 27 saves through 65 minutes respectively, Deslauriers and Bryzgalov kept it up in the shootout. The goalies were perfect through seven rounds until Matthew Lombardi got a goal in round eight. Jones couldn't match for the Oilers, and the Coyotes got two points Saturday night.