Oilers 3-0 lead slips away, results in 4-3 shootout loss

Edmonton's Dustin Penner battles for the puck against Phoenix's Vernon Fiddler Friday, November 19 at Rexall Place. The Coyotes won the game 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

 

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PRE-GAME

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

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Watch the highlights Watch the entire shootout Watch Hemsky's shorthanded breakaway goal In Focus: Post-game comments from Shawn Horcoff, Taylor Hall, Devan Dubnyk & Tom Renney The Other Side: Eric Belanger, Ray Whitney & head coach Dave Tippett comment on the game

AUDIO

Audio Highlights Shawn Horcoff Taylor Hall Devan Dubnyk Head Coach Tom Renney

SHOOTOUT RESULTS

Edmonton: Hemsky - miss Horcoff - miss Eberle - SCORE Hall - SCORE Gagner - miss Phoenix: Whitney - miss Vrbata - SCORE Korpikoski - miss Stempniak - SCORE Belanger - SCORE

THREE STARS

Ray Whitney, PHX Ales Hemsky, EDM Devan Dubnyk, EDM

UPDATE

With the shootout loss, the Oilers record becomes 4-10-4.

MORE

Under the Scope

WHAT'S NEXT

The Oilers head back out on the road for a quick two-game road trip that starts Sunday, Nov. 21 in Anaheim. The game starts at 6:00pm MST and will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet West.

After scoring the opening goal shorthanded, the Oilers crafted a confident 3-0 lead by the middle of the second period. But the Coyotes countered with three consecutive goals to tie the game and three shootout markers to win it, resulting in a 4-3 shootout loss for the Oil at Rexall Place Friday night.

Under the Scope

Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, and Dustin Penner scored for Edmonton in regulation, while Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall lit the lamp in the shootout. Goalie Devan Dubnyk earned third-star honours for his 41-save performance.

FIRST PERIOD

Back-and-forth play characterized the first five minutes of the game, with the Oilers and Coyotes taking turns testing goaltenders Ilya Bryzgalov and Dubnyk.

At 7:36, Andrew Cogliano took a holding minor and Phoenix benefited from the game's first power-play. The Coyotes couldn't register a shot in that two minutes, but 26 seconds later, Cogliano gave the visitors another five minutes after being assessed a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Kyle Turris.

Midway through the lengthy power-play, the Oilers caught a break. After snagging the puck in the defensive zone, Ryan Whitney spotted Hemsky surging up the ice. Whitney hit the speedy forward with a bang-on pass, and although Hemsky couldn't beat Bryzgalov with his initial shot, the rebound bounced off his right shin pad and back across the line for a shorthanded opening goal.

The Coyotes attacked on the remaining man-advantage and until the end of the frame, but Dubnyk prevented an equalizer, carrying the Oilers' 1-0 lead into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

Phoenix attained a 14-6 shot lead before a hooking minor to Dave Schlemko gave Edmonton its first power-play. The Oilers dominated the man-advantage, and after adding four shots to their tally, the team forced a fifth past Bryzgalov and another goal up onto the board. With help from young linemates Eberle and Hall, captain Horcoff capitalized on chaos in the crease by prodding the puck into the net to set the score 2-0.

At the game's midway point, a pair of Coyotes infractions put the Oilers on a two-minute five-on-three. Although specialty teams couldn't deliver a third goal, Penner got the job done only two seconds into even strength.

The visitors soon got that one back, however. At 13:13, Lauri Korpikoski fooled Dubnyk with a fierce backhander that hit the net and bounced back out into play. Oilers continued skating but Coyotes and officials agreed the goal was good, making it 3-1.

Shortly thereafter, a hooking minor to Whitney gave the 'Yotes their third power-play and the visitors made it count. 1:23 after Korpikoski's goal, Radim Vrbata fired through traffic and into the net to get his club back within one.

The 3-2 game persisted into the final frame.

THIRD PERIOD

Phoenix out-shot Edmonton 5-1 in the early part of the third, eventually hitting 30 shots while the Oil sat at 21. A tripping minor to Taylor Pyatt helped the Oilers narrow the gap, but Bryzgalov kept the copper and blue from crafting a two-goal cushion.

At 4:43, a shoving match that spread into the Coyotes bench resulted in a pair of roughing minors to each team, but the infractions promptly passed.

Phoenix opted for six skaters in the final minute of regulation, and the strategy paid off. With 34.4 seconds left on the clock, Wojtek Wolski fired past Dubnyk to tie the game and force extra time.

OVERTIME

Excellent scoring chances at both ends highlighted an exciting stretch of four-on-four, but Dubnyk and Bryzgalov out-performed the skaters and pushed the game into a shootout.

SHOOTOUT

Vrbata was the first skater to score in the shootout, backhanding the puck past Dubnyk in the second round. Eberle countered for Edmonton, followed by a patient stop on Korpikoski by Dubnyk.

Hall scored Edmonton's second consecutive shootout goal in round four, but Lee Stempniak matched to keep things even.

In the fifth round, Sam Gagner's missed attempt was followed by Eric Belanger's sharp-angle snipe, sealing a 4-3 shootout win for the Coyotes.