Several lengthy goalless droughts came to an end on Monday night.
Oscar Klefbom’s first goal in 34 games came in overtime, giving the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. It was Klefbom’s first goal since Dec. 9 last year.
“Obviously, I have had opportunities in a lot of games where I didn’t execute and finish,” defenseman Klefbom said of his fourth goal of the season, set up by Connor McDavid, after Edmonton surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period.
“It was very nice to score the overtime winner, but we have to be smarter and better when we have leads like this. To be up by two goals here at home, it’s not good enough to end up in overtime,” he added.
Jujhar Khaira, Milan Lucic and Jesse Puljujarvi also scored for the Oilers, who snapped a three-game skid. Lucic’s goal was his first since Dec. 23 last year — a goalless streak that lasted 29 games.
Jason Demers, Christian Dvorak and Niklas Hjalmarsson replied for the Coyotes, whose two-game winning streak ended.
“I think we’re [a] pretty resilient group and it’s good to know that if we’re down, we can always come back,” Dvorak said.
Arizona got a bit of a break to get the game’s first goal just after three minutes into the first period, when Demers’ passing attempt went off defender Kris Russell’s heel and caromed past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot.
Khaira’s short-handed goal tied it eight minutes into the game. He followed up a shot by Ryan Strome and tapped the rebound past Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper.
The Oilers took the lead with 6 minutes, 39 seconds remaining in the first when Lucic scored on a slap shot for his 10th.
Edmonton made it 3-1 with a power-play goal with three minutes to play in the first when Puljujarvi picked the top corner for his 11th of the season.
The Coyotes pulled back within a goal just past the midpoint of the third period after an Edmonton giveaway allowed Dvorak to tuck in the puck from the doorstep.
Arizona tied it with 4 minutes, 39 seconds left in the third as Hjalmarsson scored to send the game to extra time. It was his first goal in 70 games, dating to Jan. 8 last year.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
Houston Astros right-hander Teng Kai-wei, the only active Taiwanese pitcher in MLB, on Sunday suffered his third loss of the season, throwing a season-high 63 pitches in his second start of the year. Teng allowed three earned runs over three innings on five hits in the Astros’ 5-0 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out one, walked one, and hit one batter among the 15 hitters he faced, raising his earned run average to 3.12. It was the Astros’ second attempt to use the 27-year-old Taiwanese as a starter, after he had established himself as a reliable bullpen
RSS