Coyotes 3 - 2 Oilers
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Whitney lifts Phoenix past Edmonton in SO

Mar 19, 2012 - 5:12 AM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Ray Whitney scored the winner in the shootout and added a goal in regulation on Sunday, as the Coyotes earned a 3-2 comeback win over the Oilers.

Trailing 2-0 entering the third period, Whitney pulled Phoenix within a goal before Raffi Torres notched the tying tally with 2:23 left.

Mike Smith, who made 36 saves in the win, stopped Jordan Eberle to begin the shootout. After Mikkel Boedker and Sam Gagner traded tallies, Whitney lifted a backhand past Devan Dubnyk and Smith saved Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' attempt to seal the win.

The Coyotes jumped from 10th to seventh place in the Western Conference standings. They have 83 points and hold a game in hand over the eighth-place Avalanche, who also have 83 points.

"That wasn't the way the game plan was drawn up," said Phoenix coach Dave Tippett, who earned his 400th career win. "After the second period we just went in to ultimate desperation mode. We were pushing hard and we found a way to get points."

Eberle and Ales Hemsky both scored for the Oilers, who had won two straight coming in. Dubnyk made 40 saves.

Edmonton took a 1-0 lead 6:53 into the second period when a turnover by Oliver Ekman-Larsson wound up on the stick of Ryan Jones, who fed Eberle for the one- time tally.

It was 2-0 less than a minute later courtesy of Hemsky's cleanup snap shot off of Jeff Petry's long wrister.

Whitney struck 7:58 into the third, finding the puck between the circles and sending it home. Torres then notched the equalizer, one-timing a feed from Gilbert Brule past Dubnyk on the rush.

"It seems to be the story of our season," said Eberle.

Game Notes

The Coyotes won their sixth straight over the Oilers and swept the season series for the first time in Jets/Coyotes history...Phoenix improved to 4-21-2 when trailing after two periods while Edmonton fell to 21-4-1 when leading after two.






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