Resilient Coyotes move on
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Arizona Coyotes got a reprieve when the postseason was expanded for the NHL’S restarted season, only to face the distraction of their general manager resigning right before leaving for Edmonton.
More adversity hit when Nashville sent Game 4 of the Stanley Cup qualifier series to overtime with a goal in the closing seconds of regulation.
Resiliency has become a trademark of the franchise in the desert, and the Coyotes found it when they needed it most, pulling out one of the franchise’s biggest wins.
Brad Richardson scored on a rebound in overtime, Darcy Kuemper stopped 49 shots, and Arizona advanced in the postseason for the first time in eight years with a 4-3 win over the Predators on Friday.
“We’re all sick and tired of the Coyotes being out of the conversation,” Richardson said, “and at least we put ourselves in that.”
Arizona was 11th in the Western Conference when the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season but earned a spot in the postseason when the bracket was expanded to 12 teams.
General manager John Chayka resigned the day the Coyotes left the desert, putting the team in a delicate spot while trying to adjust to the Edmonton bubble.
Arizona seized control of the series against Nashville by winning Game 3 and seemed to be on its way to the next round after going up 2-0 on goals by Michael Grabner and Phil Kessel to open Game 4.
Even after the Predators tied it in the second period, Jordan Oesterle put Arizona back ahead with a goal early in the third.
On the cusp of their first series win since reaching the 2012 Western Conference finals, the Coyotes seemed to be on their heels when Nashville’s Filip Forsberg tied it with 32 seconds left.
■ Blackhawks 3, Oilers 2: At Edmonton, Alberta, Dominik Kubalik scored the decisive goal midway through the third period to back Corey Crawford, who had 41 saves, as Chicago won the series 3-1.
Brandon Saad and Matthew Highmore also scored for the 12th-seeded Blackhawks.
Josh Archibald scored on Edmonton’s first shot 45 seconds into the game, and Ryan Nugent-hopkins also scored for the fifth-seeded Oilers.
Canadiens 2, Penguins 0:
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At Toronto, Artturi Lehkonen broke a scoreless tie with 4:11 left in the third period as Montreal won the series 3-1 to clinch its first playoff berth in three years.
Carey Price stopped 22 shots in his sixth career playoff shutout. Tristan Jarry made 20 saves in his first playoff start for Pittsburgh.
■ Maple Leafs 4, Blue Jackets 3, OT: At Toronto, Auston Matthews scored on a power play 13:10 into overtime as Toronto rallied from a three-goal third-period deficit to tie the series 2-2.
William Nylander, John Tavares and Zach Hyman scored in a 3:34 span of the third for the Leafs to back Frederik Andersen, who stopped 36 shots.
■ Islanders 5, Panthers 1: At Toronto, Anthony Beauvillier scored twice to back Semyon Varlamov, who stopped 24 shots, as New York won the series 3-1.
Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal each had a goal and an assist, and Jean-gabriel Pageau added an empty-net goal.
Mike Hoffman scored his team-best third goal and fifth point of the series for Florida, which hasn’t won a playoff series since 1996.