Anaheim Ducks @ Arizona Coyotes Instant Recap: Can we play them every time?

Anaheim's bid to defeat Arizona for the first time this season failed once again, as the Coyotes stood tall at the Gila River Arena, proving that they have the upper hand on the matchup so far. Granted, the Ducks were playing the second game of a back-to-back after a hard fought battle yesterday against the Calgary Flames, but the point remains. Let's see how things unfolded.

Scoring Summary

1st period

1-0 ARI goal @ 03:14: Michael Stone slapshot, assisted by Kyle Chipchura. Chip battles for the rebound after his own shot and manages to get the puck to Stone at the blue line, who gives the Coyotes the early lead with a long, powerful slapshot.

2nd period

2-0 ARI goal @ 05:52: Antoine Vermette wrist shot on the power play, assisted by Mikkel Boedker and Max Domi. Vermette scores his first goal of the season, capitalizing on a rebound from a Domi shot that got redirected by Boedker on the power play.

3rd period

2-1 ANA goal @ 00:38: Ryan Kesler deflection on the power play, assisted by Sami Vatanen and Corey Perry. The Ducks manage to cut Arizona's lead swiftly into the third period, as Vatanen makes a slapshot on the power play that finds its way past Smith after going off Kesler's body in front of the net.

3-1 ARI goal @ 01:57: Anthony Duclair wrist shot, assisted by Max Domi. The Coyotes answer right back, as the Duck Hunter Duclair scores for the fifth time against Anaheim this season. Domi steals the puck inside the Ducks zone and quickly passes to Duclair, who easily beats John Gibson to extend the lead back to two.

3-2 ANA goal @ 07:47: Sami Vatanen wrist shot on the power play, assisted by Cam Fowler and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks just won't give up. They score again on the power play after a brilliant individual effort from Sami Vatanen, who gets past Zbynek Michalek and then beats Mike Smith.

4-2 ARI goal @ 18:54: Antoine Vermette wrist shot on the empty net, assisted by Brad Richardson. Vermette gets his second of the night on the empty net to seal the deal!

Stats

Paw Prints

• For the Ducks perspective, visit Anaheim Calling.
• Shane Doan was a late scratch tonight with a lower-body injury. He is expected to return soon on the ice.
• Antoine Vermette finally got his first goal of the season, and then another on the empty net. He's been a shadow of his former self so far this season, but this time he showed that he can still turn things around and have some great impact for the Coyotes.
• Anthony Duclair is now on a five game point streak after scoring Arizona's third goal of the game.
• With his two assists, Max Domi ties Martin Hanzal for the lead in points at 18 (8 goals - 10 assists).
• Arizona has defeated Anaheim in all three instances this season, with the Ducks only collecting one point out of those meetings. The Coyotes have scored 4 goals at each of those games.
• The Coyotes are now 6-1 against their Pacific Division opponents. The only loss came at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. Five of the six wins are against the SoCal teams (Kings, Ducks), and the other one is against Edmonton.
• Attendance: 11,578

Looking Ahead

The Coyotes will remain at home for the next two back-to-back games, as they face the Calgary Flames for the first time this season on Friday. Puck drops at 7:00 PM Arizona time.