Arizona Coyotes' penalty kill fails again in 2-1 loss to Buffalo Sabres

The Arizona Coyotes were frustrated going into this game. They were frustrated going out of it. This time, they decided to take out their frustration on the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres scored two power play goals in the second period to defeat the Coyotes 2-1 at Gila River Arena on Monday night. The defeat was Arizona's third in a row.

Scoring Summary

First Period

Arizona did a lot of the little things right, but were unable to convert on Chad Johnson despite six minutes worth of power play time in the frame.

Second Period

1-0 Buffalo - That Jack Eichel guy can do it all. He has great hands, great vision, and as Louis Domingue discovered, a tremendous slapshot. Eichel bombed a cross-ice pass over Domingue to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead. Assists to Rasmus Ristolainen and Ryan O'Reilly on the power play goal at 10:07.

2-0 Buffalo - Once again, the penalty kill let the Coyotes down. A centering attempt by Jamie McGinn ended up deflecting off of Michael Stone's skate in front of the net and in, as Domingue was moving over the play the pass. Assists to Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen on the power play goal at 17:35.

Third Period

2-1 Buffalo - Arizona set up a frenetic finish thanks to a little puck luck. Antoine Vermette received a cross-ice pass from Shane Doan, and flicked it on Johnson, possibly hoping for a rebound. Instead, the puck somehow found a hole in the goalie's stance and trickled in. Assists to Doan and Tobias Rieder on the goal at 8:04.

Stat Report

Paw Prints

• For the Buffalo perspective, check out Die By The Blade.
• #TinordiWatch continues, as the young defenseman again sat in place of Kevin Connauton.
• Zbynek Michalek missed most of the first period after taking a puck to the face early on. He would return before the period ended however.
• With the loss, Arizona is now 7-12-3 against teams from the East, which is worst in the Western Conference.
• Arizona and Buffalo combined for a gargantuan melee after the horn sounded in the third period. Shane Doan, Rasmus Ristolainen, Anthony Duclair, Zach Bogosian, and Antoine Vermette would all receive penalties when all was said and done, though Bogosian was the only one to receive a game misconduct.
• Vermette's goal ended a 131:22 goalless drought for the Coyotes.
• With a goal and an assist, Jack Eichel recorded multiple points in a game for the first time since January 2nd.
• Attendance: 11,134

Looking Ahead

Arizona gets a couple of days off before they take on the San Jose Sharks for the first time this season. Puck drop is at 7 PM Arizona time.