GLENDALE, Ariz. — Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored at 1:48 of overtime and the Arizona Coyotes kicked off their 20th season in the desert with a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.
The Flyers dominated the early part of overtime, but Mike Smith made a sprawling save on Matt Read and the Coyotes were able to clear.
The Coyotes used quick passing to get the puck to Ekman-Larsson, who gathered the feed from Martin Hanzal and lifted it over a diving Steve Mason on a delayed penalty.
Hanzal also had a goal, along with Shane Doan and Brad Richardson for the Coyotes. Smith stopped 27 shots.
Read, Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds scored for the Flyers. Mason stopped 31 shots.
Coming off a rebuilding season, the Coyotes are hoping to take the next step two decades after moving to the desert from Winnipeg.
Arizona returned its dynamic young players — namely Max Domi and Anthony Duclair — picked up key veterans during busy off-season and tapped their deep system to add more young talent.
The Flyers stood pat over the off-season after reaching the playoffs last year and opened the 2016-17 season with a strong performance, scoring all of its goals in the second period of a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night.
The Coyotes, not surprisingly, had a jump in their step for the opener, putting the Flyers on their heels. Philadelphia was whistled for too many men on the ice twice in the opening 3 minutes and the Coyotes scored their first goal on a power play midway through the first period.
Doan, who led Arizona with 28 goals last season, got it by gathering a loose puck and flicking it past Mason, who was run into by two players. The goal was upheld after a challenge by the Flyers for goalie interference.
The Flyers gathered themselves after the slow start, tying it on Raffl’s deflection of a shot by Nick Schultz from the point.
Hanzal put Arizona up 2-1 late in the period, punching in a rebound after Jacob Chychrun missed on a wraparound.
Richardson got the Coyotes off to a quick start in the second, scoring a short-handed goal 17 seconds in, but Simmonds pulled the Flyers within 3-2 by slipping the puck between Smith’s pads on a rebound a few minutes later.
Read used a nifty move to tie it early in the third period, deking Smith to get him out of position before knocking in a backhander.
NOTES: Chychrun and Christian Dvorak each had assists for their first NHL points. … The Flyers thought they had a goal in the first period when Boyd Gordon got a shot behind Smith, but the officials ruled the puck had not crossed the line. The call was upheld upon review. … The Coyotes are 8-2-0 when opening a season at home since moving to Arizona. … The Flyers went 0 for 4 on the power play and are scoreless in six chances this season.
