Canucks downed in desert
Coyotes pull away in 3rd period for 4-1 win over visiting Vancouver
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Clayton Keller and Brad Richardson scored during Arizona’s three-goal third period and the Coyotes beat the first-place Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Thursday night.
Keller took advantage of a turnover in Vancouver’s zone to make it 2-1 just 3:55 into the third, and Richardson scored shorthanded about eight minutes later. Lawson Crouse added an empty-net goal.
Arizona ended a two-game home skid and has won three of four overall.
Alex Goligoski scored in the second period for the first goal by a Coyotes defenceman this season. It was also Arizona’s first goal on home ice.
The injury-riddled Canucks were without several key players, including three who got hurt in a win Wednesday night at Vegas. The Pacific Division leaders played their first back-to-back set this season.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots in place of Arizona starter Antti Raanta, who sat out a second straight game due to illness.
Anders Nilsson made 26 saves for the Canucks, and Darren Archibald scored the lone goal for the visitors.
Vancouver had two good chances to score in the first period, but Loui Eriksson’s shot from in close was stopped by Kuemper, and Derrick Pouliot hit a post with a power-play shot.
Goligoski flipped a backhand out of Nilsson’s reach 43 seconds into the second. The Canucks responded at 2:23 when Archibald redirected Troy Stecher’s long shot off a faceoff.
Crouse and Canucks forward Antoine Roussel came to blows in the second period and were both penalized for roughing. Crouse and Roussel were also involved in a scuffle at centre ice late in the period after Roussel pulled Keller down from behind.
Both Roussel and Crouse, who came to Keller’s defence, were given 10-minute misconduct penalties.
NOTES: Brock Boeser (groin) and Elias Pettersson (concussion) remained out for Vancouver, along with fellow forward Sven Baertschi (concussion protocol), and defencemen Chris Tanev and Alexander Edler, who will need an MRI when the team returns to Canada . . . . With their injuries on defence, the Canucks called up Alex Biega and Guillaume Brisebois from Utica of the AHL. Biega played and Brisebois was scratched . . . . Vancouver starts a four-game homestand against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
OILERS 4, CAPITALS 1
EDMONTON — Evan Bouchard scored his first NHL goal and Ryan NugentHopkins had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers earned a 4-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
Alex Chiasson and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers (4-3-1), who snapped a two-game losing skid. Cam Talbot made 31 saves in the victory.
Andre Burakovsky replied for the Capitals (4-3-2), who have lost two of their last three.
Edmonton got on the board first with a power-play goal with 3:32 remaining in the opening period when Bouchard scored on a shot from the point with Capitals goalie Braden Holtby screened on the play. The rookie became the youngest defenceman in Oilers history to score a goal after turning 19 on Oct. 20.
The Oilers added to their lead midway through the second on a shorthanded tally when Nugent-Hopkins picked off a pass, undressed Niklas Backstrom and beat Holtby for his third of the season.
Edmonton made it 3-1 midway through the third when Chiasson sniped a long-range bomb, his third goal in the last two games.
McDavid added an empty-netter to put the game away.
PENGUINS 9, FLAMES 1
CALGARY — Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel each scored a pair of goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 9-1 rout over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Jack Johnson, Jake Guentzel and Matt Cullen also scored for the Penguins, who improved to 3-0 on a four-game road trip through Canada that wraps up Saturday night in Vancouver.
Pittsburgh (5-1-2) scored 18 goals in those three wins, including an overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers and a shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray repelled 38 of 39 shots for Thursday’s win.
James Neal foiled Murray’s shutout bid with two minutes remaining in the game.
Calgary starter Mike Smith was pulled for David Rittich midway through the second period after allowing six goals on 21 shots. Rittich turned away 12 of 15 in relief.