Mere hours after being promoted from the AHL, rookie David LeNeveu made 32 saves as the Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 at Jobing.com Arena on Thursday.
Afterward, Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky jokingly called it, "Jobingwinning.com Arena."
Mike Comrie tries to sweep the puck past Dwayne Roloson on Thursday.
(Paul Connors/Associated Press)
Georges Laraque, who left Edmonton over the off-season to ink a free-agent contract Phoenix, registered his first goal of the season for the Coyotes, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Phoenix lost those four games by a combined score of 19-3 and entered Thursday's showdown with four points, fewest in the NHL Western Conference.
"That was long overdue," Coyotes forward Owen Nolan said of Thursday's win, in which he scored his third goal of the season.
"We have been struggling the last couple weeks. But hopefully, this will start us up again."
Zbynek Michalek, Ladislav Nagy, Oleg Saprykin and Donald MacLean tallied the other goals for Phoenix.
Fernando Pisani potted his first goal of the season and Petr Sykora added a goal for Edmonton, which lost for the second time in two nights.
"When we get behind, we need to learn to start from a foundation and play good, responsible hockey — keep them at the three goals they were at instead of letting them get to six," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish said.
LeNeveu was recalled Thursday to replace Mike Morrison, who cleared waivers and was assigned to the San Antonio Rampage.
Morrison posted an unsightly 6.14 goals-against average in four appearances.
"They call guys up for a reason," LeNeveu said. "I didn't put any pressure on myself.
"Why put any pressure on yourself when you don't need to? I just came in with all the confidence, tried to play my game and give the team a chance to win."
LeNeveu, who played 15 games for Phoenix last season, earned his fourth NHL win.
"David is young and he played a good game," Gretzky said. "Why not ride him?"
"[But] one game doesn't make a career. I'm happy for David, but Curtis [Joseph] is our guy."
Michalek makes good
With Marty Reasoner serving a hooking penalty, the Coyotes went ahead 1-0 on Michalek's second goal of the campaign 5:08 into the first period.
But it took only 81 seconds for the Oilers to tie it at 1-1.
After LeNeveu stopped Ales Hemsky on a breakaway, Pisani beat him over the right shoulder with a wrist shot.
It marked the first point in 10 games for Pisani, who was rewarded with a four-year, $10-million US contract after scoring 14 goals in 24 playoff games last spring.
The Coyotes went ahead 2-1 on Nagy's third goal at 11:07, then Laraque created his own scoring chance by shouldering Reasoner off the puck and beat Markkanen with a backhand a shot.
Markkanen was replaced by Dwayne Roloson, who had been raked for six goals in Wednesday's 6-2 road loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
"You have got to be better," Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff said. "You've got to be better in front of your goalies.
"We're letting them drive the net. And it's just a combination of things right now that are resulting in us losing games."
With files from the Canadian Press
