Vejmelka, Doan lead Coyotes to Overtime Win Over Oilers

STATS

The Desert Dogs sure are showing a lot of heart.

Matias Maccelli scored the overtime winner, Josh Doan and Logan Cooley also scored, and the Arizona Coyotes topped the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime on Sunday. Karel Vejmelka made 38 saves to earn his fifth win out of his last seven starts.

Doan and Maccelli each finished with two points on the night, and the Coyotes have won three of four in their current five-game road trip – the last two of which have come against the top two teams in the Pacific Division.

“Our guys are showing how proud they are, how much they care for each other, and they want to have success together,” head coach André Tourigny said. “It’s cool to see themselves cheering for each other and pushing in the same direction like that.”

Adam Henrique and Darnell Nurse scored for the Oilers, who earned a point while trying to catch the Vancouver Canucks for the Pacific Division’s top spot. Calvin Pickard made 25 saves in the loss.

Doan opened the scoring 5:20 into the first period, firing home a rebound from the slot following Jack McBain’s initial shot. The 22-year-old now has four goals and three assists in nine career NHL games.

“Tonight he was really good,” Tourigny said. “He scored, but more than that, on the forecheck, his stick, he was relentless and created a lot of chaos on the other side.”

Henrique tied it up 1:49 into the second with his 23rd goal of the season, but Cooley restored Arizona’s lead at 5:37, scoring from in close after Pickard made the initial save. Cooley became just the fourth player in team history to notch 20 goals in his rookie season, and he is now tied with Anthony Duclair for the fifth-most points by a rookie in team history.

“He had to learn a few things, and the NHL is the best league in the world,” Tourigny said. “He matured a lot this year, he improved a lot, and I’m really happy for him to hit that milestone.”

Nurse tied it up at 1:12 of the third, firing a one-timer from the left point through a screen, and the two teams were scoreless the rest of the way to set up overtime.

Maccelli ended the game with his 15th goal of the season, firing a shot from the left circle past Pickard to end the game.

Arizona is back in action on Sunday against the Calgary Flames, wrapping up their five-game road trip. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 pm MST, and the game will be broadcast on Arizona 61 (TV) and 98.7 Arizona Sports (Radio).