{coyotes} COYOTES (11-18-4) at OILERS (7-20-7)

Monday, 22 December 2014

{coyotes} COYOTES (11-18-4) at OILERS (7-20-7)

White Christmas - Martina McBride

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

8:00 PM ET

COYOTES (11-18-4) at OILERS (7-20-7)

TV: SNW

Season series: The Arizona Coyotes have won all four games against the Edmonton Oilers. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored with less than a second left in overtime to give the Coyotes a 2-1 win at Gila River Arena on Dec. 16. Arizona forward Mikkel Boedker has five goals and two assists. Former Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk has earned two of the four Coyotes victories; he has made 64 saves on 66 shots for a .970 save percentage.

Coyotes team scope: Arizona is 2-6-1 and has been outscored 36-18 in December after losing 7-1 at the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. Each win this month has come against the Oilers. Goalie Mike Smith, making his first start in four games, was pulled 1:39 into the second period after he allowed four goals on 11 shots. "We had some chances [in the first period] and didn't capitalize on them. … That's kind of a microcosm of our team this year," coach Dave Tippett said. "Get some chances, can't score. Give up too many chances and not getting enough saves. … I was disappointed that we didn't play better in front of [Smith], defend better in front of him." Smith is 5-15-2 with a 3.48 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. Dubnyk made 26 saves on 29 shots in relief. Ekman-Larsson scored for the Coyotes. It was his third goal in the past four games. After this game, Arizona will play its next two at home, beginning Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks.

Oilers team scope: Edmonton is 0-1-2 under interim coach Todd Nelson, whose first game behind the bench was the overtime loss to the Coyotes on Dec. 16. Rookie center Leon Draisaitl will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday. "I think sometimes when a player sits out like that, to view the game from a different perspective is helpful," Nelson said. "Especially when you're watching up top, the game slows down, you're able to learn different things with system work and watch maybe other players play in that position, what they are doing correctly, or incorrectly." Draisaitl, whom the Oilers selected with the third pick at the 2014 NHL Draft, centered a line with Nail Yakupov at left wing and Tyler Pitlick at right wing at practice Monday. Injured defenseman Nikita Nikitin (back) participated in practice, according to the Edmonton Journal, and expects to play Dec. 27 against the Calgary Flames. The Oilers scored seven goals in their final five games under former coach Dallas Eakins. They have scored nine times for Nelson, but have surrendered 11.

Team Stats