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Vermette gets hat trick, including late tying goal, OT winner

NHL Ottawa Phoenix

Phoenix Coyotes Antoine Vermette (50) celebrates his goal against the Ottawa Senators with teammates Mikkel Boedker (89) and Michael Stone (28) goaltender Mike Smith (41) during second period NHL hockey action of an NHL hockey match in Ottawa, Canada, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

AP

The Ottawa Senators selected Antoine Vermette in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, but he hasn’t played for them since the 2008-09 campaign. Still, as the Coyotes pointed out, he hadn’t managed to find the back of the net against his former club. Until today that is.

Phoenix’s Antoine Vermette scored in the second period, but the Senators still held a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. It wasn’t until he netted a power-play goal with just 2:13 minutes remaining in regulation time that the contest was tied.

With the match in overtime, Vermette completed his hat trick at 2:23 of the overtime period.

Phoenix’s 4-3 victory snapped their three-game losing streak to help them improve to 19-10-6 this season. That puts them just one point shy of the Minnesota Wild and the second Wild Card spot, which isn’t a bad spot to be in considering the Coyotes have played in two fewer contests.

Meanwhile, the Senators have now suffered three straight defeats and are 14-17-7 this season. That consolation point will help them though in their own struggle to make the playoffs.

Antoine Vermette’s other @NHL Hat Trick came when he was playing FOR @Senators vs. Toronto on 4/3/08

— Phoenix Coyotes (@phoenixcoyotes) December 21, 2013

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