Phoenix Coyotes atop Pacific following Edmonton Oilers defeat 3-1 -NHL Update
Phoenix managed to take over the Pacific Divisional top spot in the Western Conference after Coyotes battled it out against Edmonton Oilers and emerged victorious, 3-1, Saturday night, February 25, 2012, at the sold-out Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada.
Coyotes had a plan after the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Game break to not only get back into the playoff race but to be ranked amongst some of the best teams, which they have certainly done.
"We talked about making February a big month for us and it has been," Coyotes’ Shane Doan, said. "We've taken advantage of being at home a little bit more and having some time to rest.”
There is still a little over a month till the season comes to an end, which is a crucial time for Phoenix, a team that has not always remained as consistent.
"But we have to be careful not to get too excited or overconfident because of how things have gone. We've played well, but if you look at our schedule we have beat five teams that aren't in the playoffs this month and caught a couple teams that were struggling.
We have to keep our feet grounded and remember that we are not there yet. We are not in the top-five or six in the League yet," Ray Whitney said.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson kicked off the scoring with his eighth of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season in the opening minutes of the first period while veteran forward, Ray Whitney, extended the lead in the final two minutes for his 18th.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins grabbed his 14th of the year in the third period, giving Edmonton enough time to make a comeback but it was Shane Doan who capped it off with the insurance shot at 17:32 of the final.
Phoenix is currently on a five-game winning streak but have a tough contest against Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, the team which they lost their last matchup against.
Edmonton on the other hand has faced some difficult times this season in which they were hoping for a comeback. Oilers have the next on the road against Winnipeg Jets on Monday.
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