Coyotes 3 - 1 Oilers
Final
  for this game

Smith keeps Coyotes rolling in win over Edmonton

Feb 26, 2012 - 3:16 AM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Mike Smith made 21 saves and Shane Doan netted a late insurance tally as Phoenix kept its hot streak alive with a 3-1 victory over Edmonton at Rexall Place.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ray Whitney also lit the lamp for the Coyotes, who have won five in a row and 10 of their last 11.

"We're happy with what we have done up until now," Whitney said. "We've played well at times and competed hard most of the time. But we have to be careful not to get too excited or overconfident."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins provided the sole offense for the Oilers, losers in four of their last six. Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals on 20 shots in defeat.

Ekman-Larsson tallied inside of six minutes gone in the contest as his floater from the left point got past Dubnyk, and Whitney made it 2-0 with just over a minute remaining in the first period.

"Giving up the first two makes it a tough hill to climb against a team like that," Oilers forward Taylor Hall said. "We made it really hard on ourselves."

The 39-year-old accepted a short dish from Radim Vrbata, faked out an Oilers defender in the left circle and slid a shot through Dubnyk's pads.

Nugent-Hopkins celebrated his return by redirecting an Ales Hemsky offering for a 2-1 game at 8:28 of the third, but Doan rippled the net with 2:28 to go on a blast under the crossbar from the left wing.

Game Notes

Doan reached the 20-goal plateau for the 11th time his career. He has lit up the Oilers for 14 goals and 40 assists in 56 games...Prior to the contest, the Oilers activated Nugent-Hopkins from injured reserve and assigned forward Anton Lander to Oklahoma City of the AHL...Phoenix improved to 25-1-0 this year when leading after two periods...Oilers head coach Tom Renney returned to his duties after a five-game absence while recovering from a head injury suffered when a puck struck his head.






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