Erik Karlsson lifts Senators past Coyotes in OT

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Ottawa Senators keep losing players to injury, but Erik Karlsson keeps scoring and they keep winning.
Karlsson tied the game in the third period, and then scored in overtime to give the Senators a 3-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Thursday.
After Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed a drop pass from Radim Vrbata, Karlsson and Tom Pyatt went in on goalie Mike Smith on a 2-on-0, and the Ottawa defenseman put a shot under the crossbar to win it 40 seconds into the extra period.

WATCH: All Senators vs. Coyotes highlights
"Right now, I just don't see anybody better around," Senators coach Guy Boucher said of Karlsson, who has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in the past 14 games. "He's doing it all. It's a back-to-back, and he had the same energy (in overtime) that he had on his first shift yesterday. We're having a tough stretch with guys banged up, and now we have more banged up, but we won a game we were dreading and we found a way to pull it out."
The Senators (38-22-6), who have won five straight games and 11 of their past 15, are two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the Atlantic Division lead.
Mike Condon made 39 saves for Ottawa, which was without four regulars, including injured forwards Bobby Ryan and Kyle Turris, and lost right wing Mark Stone to injury with two minutes left in the third period.
Karlsson had Pyatt with him as he bore down on Smith in overtime, but he said a flashback helped him with his decision.

"We had a 2-on-0 in Philadelphia (a 3-2 overtime loss on Dec. 1), and neither of us shot the puck. So I had to make sure I redeemed myself," said Karlsson, whose 61 points are second to Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks among NHL defensemen. "We played a consistent game and capitalized on the things we could."
Rookies Brendan Perlini and Lawson Crouse scored for the Coyotes (23-35-8), and Smith made 28 saves.
Arizona went 0-for-4 on the power play. They had two opportunities in the third period, including 22 seconds at 5-on-3, with a chance to go ahead by two goals.
The Coyotes took a 1-0 lead at 11:30 of the second period. Jordan Martinook and Tobias Rieder chipped the puck up the ice to Perlini, who beat Condon between the pads from the left faceoff dot.
The Senators tied it 1-1 41 seconds later. Smith made the save on Fredrik Claesson off a Karlsson pass, but Pageau was waiting in front and popped the rebound over Smith to score in his third straight game.
The Coyotes took a 2-1 lead when Crouse scored with 2:11 left in the second.
Karlsson tied it 2-2 at 12:47 of the third. Smith made a nice save on Pageau, but the puck caromed right to Karlsson, who scored into a wide-open net.
"We had lots of shots and opportunities to win that game," Arizona coach Dave Tippett said. "We had chances, but we didn't capitalize. Their tying goal is on a bad break, and the overtime is one mistake you would like to have back."

Goal of the game

Karlsson made no mistake in overtime, putting the puck over Smith's shoulder for his second goal and third point of the game.

Save of the game

Condon made a glove save on Crouse on a shorthanded breakaway with 3:07 left in the first period.

Unsung performance of the game

Claesson had a plus-1 rating, a shot on goal, four hits and three blocked shots in 10:34.

Highlight of the game

Crouse blocked a Karlsson shot in his own end, and then took the puck out of a scrum in the Senators zone before taking it around the net and beating Condon to the far post with a wraparound that popped up in the air and landed over the goal line.

They said it

"Whether he's tying the game with a goal or getting the game-winner, he's just gold right now in every aspect of the game. It's very inspiring for everybody." -- Senators coach Guy Boucher on captain Erik Karlsson
"You could see he was having a hard time, and he had to come out. He played as long as he could, but he's banged up. You knew it yesterday. You could feel it today." -- Boucher on forward Mark Stone, who missed two games with a neck injury in February
"It comes down to doing anything to get a goal."-- Coyotes forward Brendan Perlini on their power play, which was 0-for-4 and is 3-for-39 in the past 13 games

Need to know

Senators forward Christopher DiDomenico, 28, had a plus-1 rating and a blocked shot in 6:55 in his NHL debut. A sixth-round pick (No. 164) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2007 NHL Draft, he played the past five seasons in Europe. … Vrbata became the 12th player to skate in his 1,000th NHL game with the Winnipeg Jets/Coyotes franchise. … Arizona has 80 points from rookies this season.

What's next

Senators: At the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CITY, TVA Sports, ALT, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: Host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, MSG, NHL.TV)