Game Recap
A team has beaten the previous five Stanley Cup Champions in consecutive games for the first time in NHL history. The Arizona Coyotes did that by beating the Washington Capitals 6-0 last night.
The Coyotes secured their win with one of their best opening periods possibly ever. After a slow start, the Coyotes scored on their first power play, with Logan Cooley redirecting a pass from Clayton Keller into the back of the net just under nine minutes in for his third of the season.
That opened the floodgates, and the Coyotes would score four more goals in the opening period.
Michael Carcone continued his evolution to a goal scorer a minute and a half after Cooley got the team on the board with his 12th of the season. Darcy Kuemper was partially screened by his defensemen on the play, but it is definitely a goal he would want back.
The next two goals would be scored by Nick Schmaltz, with Keller getting a primary assist on both. Nickâs first of the night and eighth of the season came on the power play, with Tom Wilson in the box for interference.
It was another exceptional pass from Keller, who managed to feed a wide-open Schmaltz, who made it 3-0, chasing Darcy Kuemper from the net.
But Schmaltz wasnât done, as he got his ninth of the season three minutes later. Schmaltz fired a rocket through a screen, making it 4-0 and welcoming goaltender Charlie Lindgren to the party.
Jason Zucker would be the final Desert Dog to score in the period with 81 seconds left. Alex Kerfoot, who already had an assist on the night on the Schmaltz power play goal, made a great move to keep the zone and get the pass up to a wide-open Zucker, who dangled it around Lindgren to make it 5-0 Coyotes.
Up 5-0 after 20 minutes, the Coyotes had just one goal, donât screw this up. They had the Capitals on the ropes; all they had to do was keep going.
At first, it seemed like there was a chance they would give the Capitals some momentum in the second period. The Coyotes took three straight penalties, with Liam OâBrien, Josh Brown, and Clayton Keller all taking trips to the box. Luckily for the Coyotes, the Capitalsâ power play is awful this season, and they failed to score on any of the opportunities. Instead, Nick Bjugstad got the Coyotesâ first short-handed goal this season on the Keller penalty when he and Alex Kerfoot got in all alone.
The Coyotes had a solid third period. They didnât take any penalties and kept up with the Capitals for the final 20 minutes. After giving up five goals in the first period and a short-handed goal in the second, the Capitals were all but defeated, but the Yotes ensured their goaltender kept his shutout.
Last nightâs win was one of the wildest games the Coyotes have played this season. They have had some high-offense performances before, but they absolutely dominated the Capitals. Despite getting an early lead, they didnât hold back, and the Coyotes finished the game outshooting the Capitals 27-26.
It would have been a perfect game, except for one thing. Defenseman Sean Durzi sustained a lower-body injury in the first period, limiting him to just four minutes and two seconds. Durzi is the Coyotesâ best defenseman, and he assisted on the Cooley goal, so a quick recovery would be ideal for the streaking Coyotes. As of last night, there were no updates.Â
Lines
Three Stars
- Connor Ingram – 26 saves on 26 shots
- Nick Schmaltz – 2 goals
- Nick Bjugstad – Goal
Next Game
The Arizona Coyotes will stay home and host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.