Vermette’s 2 goals lead Coyotes past Flyers 4-2

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Antoine Vermette scored two goals, and the Arizona Coyotes held off the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Monday night for their third straight victory.

Vermette was originally thought to have earned his fourth NHL hat trick, but more than 30 minutes after the game ended his first goal was credited to Shane Doan instead.

Vermette scored an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left. Devan Dubnyk stopped 30 shots in his third straight solid game to help shore up Arizona's shaky goaltending.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson added a power-play goal as the Coyotes matched their longest winning streak of the season.

R.J. Umberger and Sean Couturier scored third-period goals for the Flyers after they fell behind 3-0.

Steve Mason made 21 saves in his return after missing four games with back spasms, but the Flyers dropped to 3-2 on their season-high, eight-game road trip.

With prospective new Coyotes majority owner Andrew Barroway watching from the stands, Vermette and Arizona showed a spark missing during much of a disappointing season that has them sitting 28th in the NHL.

The Flyers made it interesting late.

Umberger's wrist shot at 12:11 ended Dubnyk's bid for a second shutout of the season. Couturier's power-play goal - Philadelphia's first of the trip - got the Flyers within a goal with 4:47 left.

Flyers coach Craig Berube pulled Mason with just under 2 minutes left, and Dubnyk stopped Claude Giroux's hard slap shot with 51 seconds remaining before Vermette put it away.

Dubnyk was sharp early, allowing the Coyotes to take a 1-0 lead despite being outshot 14-6 in the first period. Doan's slap shot got past Mason's short side with 1:34 left.

Vermette made it 2-0 at 15:31 of the second when he knocked in Zbynek Michalek's rebound.

Philadelphia went nearly 9 minutes without a shot in the second period, despite Mason's solid outing in his return from injury.

The Flyers have struggled all season in low-scoring games, falling to 2-15-5 when they score three goals or fewer. The continued woes with their road penalty kill proved costly, too.

Ekman-Larsson's goal - on Mikkel Boedker's second assist of the game - was the 23rd road goal allowed with a man down on 69 chances.

With No. 1 goalie Mike Smith mired in a 5-15-2 season while giving up 3.48 goals per game, the Coyotes turned to Dubnyk for the sixth time in seven games.

The Coyotes have been careful not to say the high-priced Smith will be demoted, but Dubnyk has taken charge of late.

Showing growing confidence, the six-year veteran and former Edmonton first-round pick has allowed two goals in three games.

He has stopped 91 of 95 shots to allow the Coyotes to win three straight for the first time since early November.

NOTES: The NHL could approve Barroway's acquisition of 51 percent of the Coyotes this week. . The Flyers sent G Rob Zepp to the minors to open a roster spot for Mason. . Coyotes C Sam Gagner earned the NHL's third star of the week for his league-best six points in three games. . Flyers F Ryan White, recovering from pectoral surgery, will begin a minor-league conditioning assignment Wednesday. . Coyotes C Tyler Gaudet made his NHL debut with C Joe Vitale (lower body) out.

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