Ribeiro, Boedker lead Coyotes to road win over Oilers
It never hurts starting a road trip against the league's worst home team.
Mike Ribeiro and Mikkel Boedker each had a goal and two assists as the Phoenix Coyotes began a four-game swing with a 6-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
Radim Vrbata, Shane Doan, Keith Yandle and David Moss also scored for the Coyotes, who had lost four of their previous five games.
After a 5-2 loss at home to Chicago on Saturday, "we wanted to make sure we came out and played more to our identity, especially on the road," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "We're starting a tough trip, we wanted to come in and play well tonight. I thought for the most part, we did a lot of good things.
"I was glad the way our guys killed the penalties in the second and then responded in the third. That's what we needed to start the trip," he said.
Ribeiro said that his team was confident it could get the Oilers running around in the third.
"We knew if we stayed patient in the third that they would probably try to open up and that's what happened," he said. "We had our chances, were able to score and we'll take those two points, especially on this road trip."
David Perron scored twice for the Oilers, who dropped to 3-9-0 on home ice this season.
Oilers coach Dallas Eakins was especially disappointed in the defense.
"The fourth goal, the fifth, the sixth, that is about as bad as I have seen three or four of our defencemen play this year and it cost us," he said. "They are individual mistakes and things that the individual has to correct. Some of the plays tonight had nothing to do with systems. It was all about a misread, or more importantly, a no-read. Just being so focused on the puck.
"It's tragic when you are still in the game and then you go into the third period and that happens. It tears your heart out, it tears your guts out," he said.
Boedker scored on a power play 3 minutes into the game, putting a rebound past goaltender Devan Dubnyk. It was just Phoenix's second first-period goal in the last six games.
Edmonton tied it midway through the first period after Phoenix defenseman David Schlemko gave up the puck to Mark Arcobello. A drop pass by Arcobello set up Perron, who beat Coyotes goalie Mike Smith.
Seven minutes into the second period, Ribeiro passed through the crease to a wide-open Vrbata, who scored his ninth of the season.
Just 58 seconds later, the Coyotes had a two-goal advantage as Ribeiro floated a shot from the point that was deflected on the way to the net by Doan.
Edmonton got one of those goals back on the power play with just 52 seconds left in the middle period as Ales Hemsky made a nice pass from behind the net to Perron, who scored his second of the game with a quick shot off Smith's shoulder. It was Perron's 11th goal of the season.
After having what initially appeared to be a goal by Moss called back on a high stick, the Coyotes went up 4-2 on another Edmonton defensive breakdown as Ribeiro was left alone in front to take a pass from Doan and score his eighth of the season.
Phoenix put the game out of reach midway through the third period with another pair of quick-strike goals 42 seconds apart.
Yandle got the fifth goal and Moss deflected a shot on net and then swatted in his own rebound.
NOTES: This was the second of five meetings this season between the Pacific Division rivals. Phoenix came from behind with a pair of late third-period goals to win 5-4 at home on Oct. 26. ... Dubnyk got the start for Edmonton after coming in to relieve an injured Ilya Bryzgalov in Sunday's 3-2 shootout win in Dallas. Bryzgalov's status is uncertain as he continues to be evaluated for concussion/whiplash symptoms after taking a hit in the crease from the Stars' Ryan Garbutta.
