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Coyotes upend struggling Oilers

Dec 16, 2011 - 6:20 AM Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Shane Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson both scored a third-period goal, leading the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Lauri Korpikoski and Radim Vrbata also scored for the Coyotes, who halted a three-game skid.

Mike Smith made 18 saves in the victory.

"We bounced back and played a solid game tonight," said Ekman-Larsson.

Taylor Hall returned from injury to score a pair of goals, while Devan Dubnyk made 38 saves for the Oilers. They have lost seven of their last nine.

Phoenix, which never trailed in the contest, grabbed a 1-0 lead on Korpikoski's wrister late in the opening period.

Hall, who had missed the previous seven games with a shoulder injury, made it 1-1 with 3:58 left in the second, receiving a pass near the net from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and burying a wrister past Smith.

Late in the period, the Coyotes had a goal by Martin Hanzal reversed due to a man in the crease call, but they struck just seconds later, peppering the net until Vrbata finally drove one home for a 2-1 lead.

Hall struck again at the 6:11 mark of the third. The goal was set up by Ray Whitney, who kept the puck in the zone at the blue line, then fed Ryan Smyth by the net. Smyth hit Hall across the crease for the easy tally.

Midway through the period, Doan put the Coyotes on top, charging hard to the cage, eluding a sprawling defender and driving home a high wrister.

Ekman-Larsson made it a 4-2 game with 5:23 remaining, putting a lazy shot on net, which slid through Dubnyk's wickets.

"We were not near as engaged as 18 skaters as we needed to be," said Oilers coach Tom Renney.

Game Notes

This was the second meeting between the teams this season. The Coyotes won the first matchup 4-2 (on November 5) and have taken eight of their last nine meetings with Edmonton...Nugent-Hopkins has nine points in his last eight games.