Grabner’s OT goal gives Coyotes 5th win in a row
Michael Grabner scored 1:17 into overtime to lift the Arizona Coyotes to their fifth straight win, 4-3 over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
Brad Richardson, Brendan Perlini and Nick Cousins scored first-period goals for a 3-0 lead that Arizona gave up in the third period. However, Grabner put in Clayton Keller’s pass for the victory in the extra period.
The Coyotes’ current winning streak is their longest since Oct. 26-Nov. 5, 2013.
Alex Goligoski assisted on Arizona’s first three goals, a short-handed goal, a power-play goal and a 5-on-5 score before the first period had ended. Goligoski and Richardson have scored at least one point in four straight games.
The Hurricanes tied it at 3 with a pair of deflected shots that caromed into the net late in the third period. Andrei Svechnikov scored with 6:18 remaining and Jordan Staal added the equalizer 40 seconds later.
Antti Raanta had a season high 47 saves for Arizona. Petr Mrazek had 21 for the Hurricanes.
Carolina center Sebastian Aho came up short in his quest to set an NHL record for consecutive games with an assist, his streak ending at 12. Former Coyotes player Jordan Martinook scored the Hurricanes’ first goal at 10:34 of the second period.
Richardson’s short-handed goal, with 6:53 left in first, was his NHL-leading third such goal of the season and fourth overall. Arizona’s seven shorthanded goals as a team also leads the league, and the Coyotes became the sixth team in NHL history to score short-handed in four straight games.
The Coyotes made it 2-0 with 4:03 left in the opening period while on their second power play of the game. Perlini skated through three defenders and slipped a backhand shot past Mrazek.
It took only 55 seconds to make it 3-0, as Nick Cousins beat Mrazek glove side for his first of the season.
The NHL’s second-best penalty kill unit by percentage (90.6) going into Friday, the Coyotes did not allow a goal in six Hurricanes power plays.
NOTES: Coyotes D Kevin Connauton was scratched due to illness. Connauton missed his second straight game. … Raanta appeared in his 150th career game. … The crowd roared when Coyotes D Ilya Lyubushkin laid out to block Dougie Hamilton’s shot with his skate in the second period. … Martinook was in the starting lineup against his former team and acknowledged the crowd when welcomed back by the public address announcer.
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