Game Recap
The Arizona Coyotes dropped their third straight game, falling 6-5 to the St. Louis Blues in a high-scoring affair. The Coyotes made plenty of mistakes and saw a winnable game slip through their fingers again.
The Blues set the pace for the first period, with the Coyotes playing catchup twice. Brayden Schenn took the lead first, only for Nick Bjugstad to tie it up two minutes later. Then, when Colton Parayko made it 2-1, Jason Zucker scored his fourth of the season in the final two minutes, tying it up again.
It wasnât a great period, but the fact that the Coyotes came back twice was a silver lining. There was still plenty of hockey to be played, and the Coyotes looked engaged.
The second period was a mixed bag and some of the craziest hockey we have seen this season.
Lawson Crouse started the scoring with his ninth of the season from Matias Maccelli and Nick Bjugstad 22 seconds into the period.
The Crouse line has been the Coyotesâ most consistent the past few weeks, and the 26-year-old forward has been excellent lately.
Two minutes after Crouse gave the Coyotes their first lead, they had a golden opportunity to double it when Scott Perunovich was sent to the box for holding Liam OâBrienâs stick. Instead, Nick Leddy and Alexey Toropchenko both scored short-handed over 33 seconds, and a 3-2 Coyotes lead became a 4-3 deficit.
Karel Vejmelka was pulled after the Toropchenko goal, the fourth goal he allowed on 11 shots. Vejmelka was fighting the puck, but the team in front of him was doing him no favors.
Giving up two short-handed goals should have doomed the Desert Dogs, but they responded well.
Carcone tied the game two and a half minutes later with a wicked shot that went post and in. https://twitter.com/ArizonaCoyotes/status/1727527936289616206
The shot was in and out so quickly they missed it on the ice, but a review from Toronto confirmed the puck went into the top corner, giving Carcone his seventh of the season.
Arizonaâs top line responded a minute later, with Nick Schmaltz getting his fifth of the season from J.J. Moser and Clayton Keller, giving the Coyotes their second lead of the period. This goal saw Jordan Binnington get pulled, the second goaltender pulled in the second.
Logan Cooley started with Keller and Schmaltz on the top line for the first time since Barrett Hayton was hurt, and the Blues did a good job keeping the Coyotesâ top players from the scoresheet.
But the back and forth continued, with Robert Thomas tying the game midway through the period, setting up a disappointing final period.
Things completely fell apart for the Coyotes in the final period, and it didnât take long for things to start. A power play opportunity turned into a 4-on-4 a minute in when Toropchenko and Michael Kesselring were sent for kneeing and roughing, respectively. Logan Cooley probably appreciates Kesselring standing up for him, but the Coyotes lost a golden opportunity to break the tie.
Kevin Hayes would be the one to do that four minutes in, and for the third time, the Coyotes were chasing the game. Another roughing call for Kesselring a minute later and a Troy Stecher slashing call less than a minute after that certainly didnât help things.
Arizona killed off both penalties and a third penalty when Matt Dumba was called for tripping at the halfway point, but they wasted time the Coyotes needed to mount a comeback. The Coyotes were limited to just six shots in the final frame, not enough when you are down a goal.
The Coyotes needed a strong third period but didnât get it. Arizona took too many penalties, and it hampered their ability to generate offense. Despite the problems in the first two periods, it was a tie game going into the third, and the Coyotes couldnât finish strong.
Lines
Three Stars
- Kevin Hayes – Goal
- Michael Carcone – Goal and an assist
- Joel Hofer – 12 saves on 12 shots
Next Game
The Coyotes will be on the road to face off against the Vegas Golden Knights this Saturday.