GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Just when it appeared the Ottawa Senators would be heading home with the baggage of a five-game winless streak, captain Jason Spezza took it upon himself to lighten the load.
Spezza wiped out a 2-0 second-period deficit with a natural hat trick and Cory Conacher's goal 2:48 into overtime gave the road-weary Senators a 4-3 victory against the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday night.
The Senators played their first six games away from Canadian Tire Centre. But after beating the Buffalo Sabres on opening night, they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout and the Los Angeles Kings in overtime before weekend losses to the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
It looked like they would go home with another loss when Rob Klinkhammer scored his third goal in two games and Radim Vrbata followed with his fourth goal in two home games this season 1:17 apart early in the second period to put the Coyotes up by two.
But Spezza scored once in the second period and twice in the third, giving him seven goals and 10 points in six career games against the Coyotes. He completed his hat trick at 7:19 of the third period to put Ottawa ahead, but Mike Ribeiro tipped home Oliver Ekman-Larsson's power-play shot with 3:30 left in regulation to send the Senators to overtime for the fourth time in their first six games.
Craig Anderson made 34 saves for Ottawa, which takes a 2-2-2 record into its home opener against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Mike Smith stopped 28 shots for Phoenix but let a two-goal cushion slip away with some sloppy play around the net.
Ottawa allowed 106 shots in the weekend to San Jose and Anaheim, but dominated early against a listless group of Coyotes just back from a five-game road trip themselves. Phoenix had one shot in the first 16 minutes and four in the period - despite a pair of penalties against unpopular ex-Coyote Kyle Turris.
The Senators had nine of their 12 first-period shots in the first 14 minutes, with Smith making good saves on Turris with the glove and Erik Condra and Bobby Ryan in tight to keep the game even.
But the second period was a complete reversal for Phoenix. The Coyotes reeled off a season-high 17 shots and needed only 2:35 to build a two-goal lead.
Antoine Vermette won a faceoff cleanly and put the puck on net. Anderson kicked it away but the rebound came right to Klinkhammer, who was alone and hit the open corner at 1:18. Klinkhammer had a pair of goals in Sunday's 5-3 win at Carolina and earned a promotion to the first line Tuesday.
With the crowd still buzzing, another faceoff win helped Phoenix double its lead. Martin Hanzal pushed the puck back to Mikkel Boedker, who dropped it to Vrbata for a wrist shot from the slot that beat Anderson over the glove and into the top corner. It was Vrbata's first goal since his hat trick against the New York Rangers here on opening night.
But the Senators - and Spezza - weren't interested in quitting. Spezza cut the lead in half at 8:42 when Smith dived on a Patrick Wiercioch shot but lost the puck in his pads. It sat alone in the blue paint and Spezza tapped it in for his second goal of the season.
Spezza was the recipient of another Phoenix miscue 1:15 into the third period. Smith misplayed a puck behind the net and then got tangled up with teammate David Schlemko on his way back to the crease. Colin Greening collected the puck and fed Spezza in the crease, where he put it past two Coyotes skaters trying to protect the net to even the game.
The Coyotes were penalized for too many men at 7:02. Spezza scored 17 seconds later when he pounded a shot from the top of the right circle through traffic and past Smith to complete the hat trick and give Ottawa its first lead of the night.
But the Senators couldn't finish it off in regulation. Chris Phillips interfered with Phoenix's David Moss with 4:56 left and the Coyotes cashed in. Vermette pulled a puck off the wall and fed Ekman-Larsson for a shot between the circles and into traffic. The puck deflected off Greening and then hit Ribeiro before getting past Anderson with 3:30 left to force overtime.
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