lot better. I can pinpoint and find exactly what I need to

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes spent most of overtime on their heels, chasing pucks and dodging shots. The Coyotes finally cleared the puck after a big save by Mike Smith and had a man advantage on a delayed penalty.Thats when they turned to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the king of overtime hockey.Ekman-Larsson set an NHL record for game-winning goals by a defenseman last season and picked up where he left off Saturday night, scoring at 1:48 of overtime to help the Coyotes begin their 20th season in the desert with a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.Obviously, Im playing with a lot of confidence playing 3 on 3 in overtime, said Ekman-Larsson, who leads NHL defensemen with 21 winning goals the past three seasons.The Flyers dominated the early part of overtime, but a sprawling save by Smith on Matt Read allowed the Coyotes to clear the puck and set up at the other end.Philadelphias Jakub Voracek was then hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty, allowing Smith to skate off for an extra attacker. The Coyotes worked the puck around quickly, with Radim Vrbata sending out a pass from behind the goal to Martin Hanzal, who one-timed it to Ekman-Larsson.The four-time NHL All-Star gathered the puck and lifted it over a diving Steve Mason for his latest winner.Hanzal also had a goal, along with Shane Doan and Brad Richardson for the Coyotes.I dont think my heart rates been that high before with that flurry that went on what felt like forever, said Smith, who stopped 27 shots. Then high-stepping to the bench and winning, celebrating with my teammates on the bench was crazy there for a few minutes.The Flyers rallied from a 3-1 deficit after playing the night before and tied it on Reads goal early in the third period. But Philadelphia continued to struggle on the power play -- 0 for 4 -- and couldnt capitalize on numerous chances in overtime when it appeared to have the Coyotes on the ropes.Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers. Mason stopped 31 shots.Sometimes you just dont get the bounces, Simmonds said. (Smith) makes a bunch of good saves there. Then they turn around and go to the other end, get a scramble and the puck ends up in our net.Coming off a rebuilding season, the Coyotes are hoping to take the next step two decades after moving to the desert from Winnipeg.The Flyers stood pat over the offseason after reaching the playoffs last year and opened the 2016-17 season with 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 and 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 Raffls deflection of a shot by Nick Schultz from the point.Hanzal scored late in the period on a rebound and Richardson got the Coyotes off to a quick start in the second, scoring a short-handed goal 17 seconds in to make it 3-1.The Flyers rallied despite the short turnaround from last night.Simmonds pulled Philadelphia within 3-2 by slipping the puck between Smiths pads in the second period and Read used a nifty move to tie it early in the third, deking Smith to get him out of position before knocking in a backhander.Thought for a back to back, thats the effort you want, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said.Game notes Arizonas Jacob Chychrun and Christian Dvorak each had assists for their first NHL points. ... The Flyers are scoreless in six chances on the power play this season. ... The Coyotes are 8-2-0 when opening a season at home since moving to Arizona.UP NEXTThe Flyers play at Chicago on Tuesday before heading back to Philadelphia for their home opener against Anaheim.Arizona kicks off a six-game trip in Ottawa on Tuesday. Byron Buxton Twins Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Justin Morneau Jersey . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. http://www.twinssale.com/twins-bert-blyleven-jersey/ . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Kent Hrbek Twins Jersey . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Rod Carew Jersey . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. STANFORD, Calif. -- David Shaw swears he understands. Shaw, the Cardinal head coach, knows theres a limit to how many times junior Christian McCaffrey can take the ball and be effective. The latest test comes Friday night, when the No. 7 Cardinal play at No. 10 Washington (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).He cant take every single rep and be able to survive a 13-, 14-game season, Shaw said. He cant. Even at that age, in the best shape of [his] life, and a phenomenal athlete, probably one of the best-conditioned athletes in the nation. Somebody else has to take some reps.Over the course of McCaffreys record-breaking 2015 season, the running back carried, caught or returned the football 424 times. Thats 30.3 times per game, way more than any other FBS player in the nation. It worked out pretty well for him. He broke the single-season all-purpose yards record (3,250) set by Barry Sanders in 1988. McCaffrey finished with 3,864 yards.When Shaw and offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren stand on the sideline and look down at their call sheets, they seem to become every 10-year-old who ever ripped open a one-pound bag of M&Ms. How do you stop?It takes a concerted effort among the coaches, Bloomgren said. If we say, Who is the best for this [play]? It usually comes up being 5 (McCaffreys number). You have to be really careful. If we put 25 pounds on him, Id probably play him at guard. At the same time, we say it every time we watch a game. Hey, he played X number of plays. And its too many.Three games into his junior year, McCaffreys workload has ticked upward -- 32 times per game. He has 79 carries, 12 receptions, three kick returns and two punt returns for a total of 635 yards (211.7-yard average). The 91 carries and catches are 59.9 percent of Stanfords total this season. Thats 13 percentage points higher than the second-biggest ball hog in the FBS, Donnel Pumphrey of San Diego State.OK, its not fair to call McCaffrey a ball hog. He isnt calling plays. And in Shaws defense, sophomore running back Bryce Love missed the opener against Kansas State, and quarterback Ryan Burns played little before winning the starting job in August.We live in an age of specialization, with personnel groups shuttling on and off the field every down. Yet McCaffrey is as evergreen as the tree in the Stanford logo. How much is too much? What is the limit?The Stanford coaches dont think in numbers. Shaw mentioned 25 carries, give or take. He checks the halftime stats to see if McCaffrey has too many touches, or too few.The other thing thats hard? Bloomgren said. The kid doesnt want to be out of the gamee a single play.dddddddddddd If he were asking, Can I get a break? that would make it so much easier for all of us. But hes the last one that wants to take a play off.McCaffrey dismisses the pitch count, too, although he said the USC game, when he had 31 carries, three catches and a kick return, has been the toughest to recover from.Sometimes youll have 30, 40 touches in the game, and youll feel better than if you had 22, he said. It depends on where you get hit and how you get hit.McCaffrey expected his workload to increase this season. He is playing more as a slot receiver, hoping to get one-on-one with some poor linebacker unable to match his rare combination of speed and strength. Shaw stressed the difference in McCaffrey between last season and this, the physical maturation of a 19-year-old who turned 20. But theres also a big difference in his preparation.McCaffrey assesses the condition of his body with the care of an NFL veteran, spending a total of three to four hours before and after practice to prepare for and recover from the workload. Foam rollers, stretches, Pilates, one minute in the hot pool, two in the cold, and back again for 30 minutes.Last year, I was doing stuff where I didnt know if that was necessarily the best thing for me to do, McCaffrey said. This year, OK, Im having a little bit of tightness in my adductor. I know I need to get my glutes back firing. I know my body a lot better. I can pinpoint and find exactly what I need to do.The result is a fresher back. He feels better on Monday than he did last season. He accepts that he isnt going to do much physical work on Monday. He understands that Love needs the reps.Last year, we would sit him out of practice on Mondays and he would pout, Bloomgren said. Body language. Now he understands its part of the process.As Burns matures, Shaw and Bloomgren hope the quarterback will be able to take more of the responsibility for the offense. Love has proven in the past two games that he is an effective counterpunch to McCaffrey. Until that really happens, however, Shaw said, the offensive burden is going to be on the offensive line and McCaffrey.Going into a game, I know that Im going to run a lot, McCaffrey said. I know Im going to have a lot of volume, and I know that Im going to get hit a lot, which is great. Sometimes we try to deliver some blows, too, try to break as many tackles as possible. We know its going to hurt the next day. Thats why we love the game. ' ' '