Arizona Coyotes get three third period goals in 3-0 shutout of Washington Capitals

The Arizona Coyotes couldn't get to the Washington Capitals early. They couldn't get to them in the middle of the game. But they did get to them late.

Arizona scored three goals in the third period as Mike Smith recorded his third shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over Washington on Saturday night. It was Arizona's final game of the 2015-16 season at Gila River Arena.

Scoring Summary

First Period

No scoring early on. Arizona didn't play particularly poorly, but they didn't play outstanding hockey either.

Second Period

Max Domi fought Nate Schmidt, but if you were looking for fireworks of the goal variety you were going to have to keep waiting.

Third Period

1-0 Arizona: The Coyotes finally broke a scoreless tie early in the third period, as Shane Doan deflected a Max Domi shot from the near-side boards past Philipp Grubauer for his team leading 27th goal of the season. Assist to Domi on the goal at 5:18.

2-0 Arizona: Speaking of 27, the Coyotes needed just 27 seconds to add another goal to their lead. Oliver Ekman-Larsson took a shot from the point that deflected off the stick of TJ Oshie enough to flutter past Grubauer. Assists to Alex Tanguay and Antoine Vermette on the goal at 5:45.

3-0 Arizona: It wasn't an empty-netter, but the Coyotes would ice this one on a tremendous drop pass from Domi. Domi entered the offensive zone and drew John Carlson with him. Carlson's attempt to clear the puck ended up on Brad Richardson's stick, and he buried a wrister from the high slot to seal the deal. Assist to Domi on the goal at 13:58.

Stat Report

Paw Prints

• For the Washington reaction, check out Japers' Rink.
• Martin Hanzal did not dress tonight, and neither did Nicklas Grossmann. Sergei Plotnikov, Eric Selleck, and Jiri Sekac were the healthy scratches.
• Alex Grant played his second consecutive NHL game, matching his career total thus far. He played a team low 12:15.
• Mike Smith's third shutout of the season is the most he's had since the 2013-14 campaign.
• Laurent Dauphin played his first NHL game since January 4th. He played 13:51.
• Nicklas Backstrom was a late scratch for the Capitals.
• Andre Burakovsky led all Captials players with seven shots on goal. Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and TJ Oshie combined for just six.
• Attendance: 17,125 (sellout)

Looking Ahead

With their home schedule completed, Arizona embarks on a four game trip beginning Monday night in St. Louis. Puck drop is at 5:00 PM Arizona time.