Game Recap
The Arizona Coyotes are currently in the middle of a gauntlet that is seeing them face off against previous Stanley Cup champions, and last night’s match may have been the toughest let. But the Desert overcame their opponents, beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime to secure their third straight win.
The Colorado Avalanche did not underestimate the Coyotes going into last night’s matchup. Still, Arizona did a great job of keeping up with the Avalanche, and the Yotes kept them off the board until the final minute of the opening period. Lawson Crouse was in the box for tripping, and Cale Makar scored his seventh of the season from Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin.
But Arizona came ready to play in the second period and tied it up soon after the puck dropped with a bit of luck. J.J. Moser fired the puck from the blue line, only to see his shot go off the sticks of both Liam O’Brien and Travis Boyd into the back of the net.
While the goal was initially credited to O’Brien, Boyd would ultimately receive credit for the goal, his second of the season.
But this is the Avalanche, so it didn’t take them long to respond. A minute and a half after Boyd tied, Miles Wood regained the Avalanche lead when he went hard to the net and slid the puck past Connor Ingram for his fourth of the season.
Arizona would get their chance to tie it up again late in the period with their second power play of the night. Caleb Jones was in the box for interference, and it took Nick Schmaltz just 11 seconds to score and tie the game 2-2.
The power play had some good puck movement, and Schmaltz found a quiet part of the ice in front of the net. Alex Kerfoot and Clayton Keller assisted on the goal.
Arizona tied it up late in the second, and they came out ready to play in the third period. Michael Carcone gave the Coyotes their first lead just over a minute into the final frame.
Carcone nullified a potential icing call and caught the Colorado players off guard. He skated behind the net for a wraparound, and his shot went far post and in, and the Yotes were up 3-2.
Any hope of coasting through the final periods was quickly dashed later in the period. Liam O’Brien took exception to a hit Josh Manson laid on Travis Boyd and responded by dropping the gloves. Both O’Brien and Manson were given fighting majors, but O’Brien was awarded an extra two, and the Avalanche had their final power play of the game. And if the first period wasn’t a clear enough message, Nathan MacKinnon scored his eighth of the season late in the power play, showing why you don’t give the Avalanche power plays.
Neither team could score after that, pushing the game to overtime. Getting a point against a team like the Avalanche is already an accomplishment, but a second would give them sole possession of the second Wild Card spot.
A penalty would prove to be the pivotal moment of overtime, and this time, it wasn’t the Coyotes. Bowen Byram slashed Nick Bjugstad as he was headed to the net, and you can make a good case for it being a penalty shot. The Coyotes didn’t score on the resulting power play, but not long after, Nick Bjugstad picked up his own rebound and knocked it home to give the Coyotes a 4-3 lead.
It was a resilient win by the Coyotes, who kept up with the top team in the Central for the entire game. There were a few mistakes, but it was a solid effort all around and two much-needed points for the Desert Dogs.
Lines
Three Stars
- Nick Bjugstad – Game-winning goal
- Michael Carcone – Goal
- Nick Schmaltz
Next Game
The Coyotes will be back in action this Saturday as the Coyotes host the St. Louis Blues.