Game Recap
After dropping their last three games, the Arizona Coyotes pulled out a surprise win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. It took goaltender Connor Ingram standing on his head, but the Coyotes walked away with two much-needed points and some momentum.
It was a goaltender duel for most of the game, with neither netminder allowing a goal for the first two periods. More impressively, this happened despite numerous power plays and stretches of 4-on-4, which should have opened the game up for either team.
Not surprisingly, Arizona took a majority of the penalties. The Desert Dogs were short-handed five times throughout the game. Arizona’s penalties killed their first power play 19 seconds in, leading to a nail-biting finale that saw the Golden Knights have 14 seconds of 5-on-3 to finish the game.
Throughout it all, Ingram stood tall, stopping all 34 Vegas shots, including ten on the power play. Ingram kept the Desert Dogs in the game long enough for Keller to score the game’s first goal halfway through the final period, giving the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.
Assisting on the goal were Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley, with Cooley winning a board battle behind the net that ultimately led to the goal. Cooley has been filling in for Barrett Hayton while he is week-to-week with an injury, and if he keeps playing like that, he may steal the top-line spot soon.
The final nail in the coffin came late in the period, with Lawson Crouse hitting the empty net for his 10th of the season from Matias Maccelli and Nick Bjugstad.
Crouse has been on a roll all month, and his line with Maccelli and Bjugstad is the Coyotes’ most consistent of the season.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good times for the Yotes. Defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, who was subbing in for an injured Matt Dumba, went awkwardly into the boards after a hit from Jonathan Marchessault and ended up going straight to the back and did not return for the rest of the game.
Last night’s game had plenty of flaws and relied far too much on exceptional goaltending, but it’s a win against a top team in the league. It is the kind of win that has the power to inspire the team and hopefully give them the confidence to win their next game against a top team.
Lines
Three Stars
- Connor Ingram – 34 saves on 34 shots
- Clayton Keller – Game-winning goal
- Lawson Crouse – Goal
Next Game
The Coyotes will be back home to host the Tampa Bay Lightning this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.