Game Recap
After a disastrous five-game homestand, the Arizona Coyotes responded with one of their best games of the season. The Coyotes started their three-game road trip with a commanding 6-0 win over the Minnesota Wild.
The Coyotes had an excellent start, thanks to an excellent power play. After a few close chances, Arizona got on the board five minutes in when Jon Merrill was in the box for holding.
Alex Kerfoot started the scoring with his sixth of the season, with Clayton Keller and Sean Durzi assisting.
Kerfoot passed the puck up to Keller, who moved up the ice, allowing Kerfoot to get clear. Keller then passed the puck back to Kerfoot, who shot it home to make it 1-0.
Midway through the period, Nick Bjugstad made it 2-0 with his first of the night from Michael Kesselring. Kesselring picked up a loose puck at the blue line and got it to a streaking Bjugstad, who fired it home to double the Yotes’ lead.
Thankfully, the Coyotes did not just sit back with a two-goal lead, they continued to apply the pressure. And they were rewarded on their second power play, with Nick Bjugstad lighting the lamp again.
It was a hectic play that saw Bjugstad go to the front of the net, where he was in perfect position to redirect a Lawson Crouse pass in. During their homestand, the Coyotes struggled to generate offense, but on their first game on the road, they were already up 3-0 after just 17 minutes and 21 seconds.
But it wasn’t all offense for the Coyotes after their third goal. Arizona took their first penalty late in the first period, but they killed it off to start the second, allowing the offense to keep going.
Not long after the Yotes killed the McBain penalty, Keller scored his 16th of the season to make it 4-0 with Sean Durzi and Jack McBain assisting.
Keller fired the puck through traffic while McBain posted himself in front of the net. It was a solid goal, and seeing the Coyotes keep up the pressure was great.
Five minutes after Keller made it 4-0, Nick Bjugstad completed the hat trick with his third of the season from Jason Zucker and Troy Stecher.
Bjugstad’s goal chased goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who had given up five goals on 18 shots. That seemed to wake the Wild up, but Connor Ingram was already filled with confidence and was a wall for the rest of the night.
The Wild had started to push back as the second period expired, and while they had a massive hole to climb out of, the Coyotes weren’t about to let them even start to come back. So when the puck dropped on the third period, it took Clayton Keller 38 seconds to score his second of the night on a break away from McBain and Nick Schmaltz, to give the Coyotes a commanding 6-0 lead.
It was a great start to the period, and an outstanding performance from Ingram put a cap on a phenomenal game for the Coyotes.
Arizona needed a game like last night’s. They needed to prove to themselves that they are a good team and they can win meaningful games against division rivals. Consistency will likely remain a problem this season, but if the Coyotes play like they did last night, they may still grab a playoff spot.
Lines
Three Stars
- Nick Bjugstad – 3 goals
- Connor Ingram – 38 saves on 38 shots
- Clayton Keller – 2 goals and an assist
Next Game
The Coyotes will play the Calgary Flames in a rematch on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Calgary.