Game Recap
The Arizona Coyotes beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 as the Desert Dogs walk away with their second straight game. The Coyotes didn’t trail once against the Lightning, and a win last night helps them keep up in a race for a Western Conference playoff spot.
Michael Carcone got the Coyotes going early in the game with his eighth of the season from Michael Kesselring and Alex Kerfoot. It wasn’t a particularly pretty goal, Carcone just threw the puck toward the net from the top of the faceoff circle, but it gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead and proved the old adage that good things happen when you put pucks on net.
The goal just under three and a half minutes in gave the Coyotes some breathing room for the rest of the period. They kept pace with the Lightning for the rest of the period, which ended with both teams registering eight shots on goal.
The second period saw another early goal to set the pace. This time, Travis Boyd lit the lamp with Josh Brown and Connor Ingram assisting.
Boyd showed a lot of skill in avoiding Michael Eyssimont and controlling the puck in a tight scenario with his first goal of the season. Suddenly, the Coyotes were up 2-0, and it looked like they were in control.
Connor Ingram had been standing on his head for much of the game, but he wasn’t perfect. Late in the middle frame, Brayden Point fired a rocket after an impressive cross-ice pass from Nikita Kucherov, giving the Lightning their first and only goal of the game.
When the puck dropped for the third period, it was still anyone’s game. And who else but the player who started the scoring, Michael Carcone, to give the Coyotes their two-goal cushion with his second of the night from Jason Zucker and Alex Kerfoot.
If Carcone’s first goal resulted from him putting pucks on net, his second showed tremendous skill as he easily strolled to the front of the net and went five-hole.
After going up 3-1, the Coyotes had a surprisingly easy finish. They had to kill a Liam O’Brien penalty midway through the final frame, but they got two power plays in the last five minutes of regulation. They may not have scored on either, but it kept the Lightning from seriously challenging the Desert Dogs’ 3-1 lead.
Lines
Three Stars
- Connor Ingram – 30 saves on 31 shots
- Michael Carcone – 2 goals
- Travis Boyd – 1 goal
Next Game
The Coyotes will be staying in Tempe as they host the Colorado Avalanche this Thursday in a battle of the Central Division.