Last-second heroics spur Oilers to 4-3 win

Oilers forward Taylor Hall powers up ice during the second period of Tuesday's game against the Coyotes. (photo by Getty Images)

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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 IN FOCUS: Post-game comments from Horcoff, Hall, Petry, & Coach Renney

AUDIO

Taylor Hall Shawn Horcoff Linus Omark Jeff Petry Head Coach Tom Renney Audio Highlights

THREE STARS

Taylor Hall, EDM Scottie Upshall, PHX Linus Omark, EDM

UPDATE

Win the win, the Oilers improve their record to 15-25-8.

MORE

Under the Scope

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton plays their final game before the all-star break tomorrow night (Jan. 26) against the Dallas Stars. The puck drops at 5:30pm MT.

Dustin Penner scored with 21.3 seconds left to give the Edmonton Oilers a hard-fought come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on Tuesday night.

Under the Scope

Taylor Hall, Shawn Horcoff - both with two-point nights - as well as Linus Omark had the other goals for Edmonton while Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 of 27 shots.

FIRST PERIOD

Phoenix got the game's first power play after Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff took a hooking penalty at 4:57.

30 seconds later, the Coyotes struck for the game's first goal. Keith Yandle's attempted pass to Kyle Turris, who was behind the net, went off the skate of Tom Gilbert and straight to Scottie Upsall at the left hash marks. Upshall made no mistake, wristing it past Devan Dubnyk just inside the far right post glove side on the Oilers netminder.

The opening period was fast paced with only three whistles, including the goal, through the first 14 minutes.

Edmonton's best chance to score came off the stick of Sam Gagner as he had a pass hop right over his stick with a wide open net right in front of him.

After one period, shots on goal were even at 9-9 but the Coyotes were up by one.

SECOND PERIOD

Edmonton nearly tied it 1:12 into the middle frame. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov slid to make the stop but the puck remained loose in the crease. However, Dustin Penner could not get enough wood on it while perched on the doorstep as the puck slid under the Coyotes netminder for the whistle.

44 seconds later, Phoenix struck to take a 2-0 lead. Yandle made a great pass off the side boards through the neutral zone onto the stick of Ray Whitney. Whitney found Turris in the slot and he made no mistake, firing it high glove side to make it 2-0.

Yandle saved a goal with 13 minutes to play in the second period as he scooped the puck right off the line after a Stortini backhander went between the legs of Bryzgalov, but the puck went right to the point where Kurtis Foster teed it up. His shot went off both Stortini and J-F Jacques with Jacques eventually getting credit for the marker.

Dubnyk made a great stop in the latter half of the period off Paul Bissonnette in the slot. He took a quick feed and fired it on net but the Oilers netminder was sharp in getting over to make the save and keep it a one-goal game.

Phoenix had a 2-1 lead going into the second intermission but shots on goal were 23-19 for Edmonton.

THIRD PERIOD

An interference penalty to Martin Hanzal early in the third period put Edmonton back on the power play with a chance to tie the game.

With 41 seconds left in the man advantage, the Oilers got that tying goal. Taylor Hall's attempted centering pass went in off a Coyotes defender to make it a 2-2 game.

1:12 later, the line of Omark, Gagner and Paajarvi struck to give Edmonton their first lead of the night. Paajarvi corralled the puck in the corner before getting it to Gagner who made a nifty no-look pass to Omark in the slot. Omark made no mistake, flicking it past Bryzgalov for the 3-2 lead.

Phoenix knotted the game up at 3-3 with 11:31 to play in the final frame. Shane Doan made a slap-pass over to Upshall whose blast beat Dubnyk.

With 5:34 to play in the third, Taylor Hall took advantage of a loose puck to break in alone. He was impeded on the breakaway by Adrian Aucoin in pursut and ended up crashing into the Coyotes net while hanging on to the crossbar. There was no call on the play.

The Oilers took the lead with 21.3 seconds left in the game. Taylor Hall had the puck at the side boards where he centered it to Penner in the high slot. Penner didn't get all of the shot but he got enough of it to fool Bryzgalov and make it 4-3.