Lombardi scores twice, surprising Coyotes rout sputtering Oilers 6-1

Lombardi’s 2 goals help Coyotes rout Oilers 6-1

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Matthew Lombardi had two goals and three assists for a career-high five points and the Phoenix Coyotes routed sputtering Edmonton 6-1 on Monday night for their 36th victory, matching their total from last season.

It was the most one-sided victory of the season for Coyotes, who emerged from bankruptcy owned by the NHL while the league tries to work out a sale. Phoenix has won seven of eight and entered tied with Los Angeles for third-best record in the Western Conference.

Ed Jovanovski, James Vandermeer, Radim Vrbata and Robert Lang also scored for Phoenix, while Ilya Bryzgalov had 33 saves.

The Oilers, winners of three of their last 26 games, averted a shutout when Dustin Penner scored his 23rd goal with 4:28 to play.

Edmonton has been outscored 13-3 in losing on the first three stops of a five-game road trip.

Lombardi’s goals came in a span of 1:41 at the end of the first period and start of the second to put the Coyotes up 3-0. He has 12 goals and 28 assists for the season.

Phoenix withstood an early 5-on-3 onslaught and killed three penalties in the first period.

The Coyotes’ first goal came when Jovanovski took a pass from Robert Lang and slammed a one-timer past beleaguered goalie Jeff Deslauriers from the back of the left circle for his 10th goal of the season.

Lombardi’s first score came with 31 seconds left in the first period, when he maneuvered the puck across the ice in front of the Oilers’ net, then flipped it backhand past the goalie from the left side.

He made it 3-0 1:11 into the second period on a slap shot from in front of the net over Deslauners’ right shoulder after a nice pass from Vandermeer, who scored Phoenix’s fourth goal on a sizzling slap shot from just in front of the blue line with 14:12 to play in the second.

Vrbata, playing in his 500th career NHL game, got his 19th goal on a breakaway after Lombardi took control of the puck and passed it to him 4:19 into the final period. Lang ended a 20-game drought with a goal 8:20 from the finish. He also had two assists as the Coyotes matched their season high in scoring.

Phoenix, under first-year coach Dave Tippett, had won six in a row before a 4-0 loss at Dallas on Sunday. That loss came one night after the Coyotes’ 2-1 shootout win in front of 22,000 in Chicago.

NOTES: Two fans in Oilers jerseys sat in the stands with paper bags over their heads. … Shane Doan had two assists for Phoenix, raising his season total to 28, tied with Lombardi for the team lead. … The Coyotes had four goals in their first 19 shots. … The Oilers were blanked at Colorado 3-0 two nights earlier.