It took another spirited performance from Ilya Bryzgalov, but when the dust cleared, the Coyotes had another two points to add to the standings on Thursday night.
While a game against the Edmonton Oilers may not sound like it would require a great amount of effort from a team looking destined for a playoff berth, the Oilers did what they could against the Yotes, despite playing nine regular players down from their lineup.
The difference in the game was certainly the goaltending, with Bryzgalov allowing just one goal to the Oilers, despite the 36 shots that Edmonton fired. The one goal that did get by him came with the Oilers on the man advantage, with Magnus Paajarvi netting his 11th of the year.
Despite managing just 17 shots on goal, the Coyotes got three past the veteran Nikolai Khabibulin. The first came on a backhander from Lee Stempniak with under a minute remaining in the first period.
Ray Whitney's goal made it 2-0, and came with a bit of controversy. Whitney scored on the breakaway and ran hard into Khabibulin, leaving it unclear as to whether or not it actually got past the Edmonton netminder. However, it was called a goal on the ice, and the review was inconclusive, leaving it to stand.
The backbreaker in this one would be Radim Vrbata's power play goal in the third period. With the score standing at 2-1, Vrbata flicked one past Khabibulin to put the game out of reach for the young Oilers.
The Coyotes now stand alone in fourth place in the Western Conference, trailing the division-leading San Jose Sharks by just a point in the standings.
Phoenix will turn right around and visit the NHL-best Vancouver Canucks on Friday before returning home against Chicago on Sunday.