Dvorak’s 2 goals power Coyotes
Early-season games typically don’t hold much weight, but with a condensed schedule and a six-game road trip looming, plus having not scored a goal in the previous two games, Thursday night’s 3-2 win for the Coyotes over the Anaheim Ducks was important.
Christian Dvorak’s power play goal with 4:26 to play proved to be the game winner for the Coyotes, who got two goals from Dvorak and one from Conor Garland.
“We knew it was a big game for us. We didn’t want to lose again here at home,” Dvorak said. “Whenever you go through a little (scoreless) stretch like that, I think everyone probably holds their stick a little tighter. So it was nice to get an ugly one and then everyone seems to have a little bit more confidence.”
Darcy Kuemper, making his sixth straight start in goal, didn’t face a lot of shots with 14 saves, but still had big stops. He reached out for a glove save on a Ryan Getzlaf shot that looked headed for the net in the second period, and thwarted Kevin Shattenkirk on a shorthanded attempt during the same power play as the one on which Dvorak scored the go-ahead goal.
Getzlaf’s shot was the Ducks’ only one on goal in the second period, as Arizona (3-4-1) outshot Anaheim 34-16 for the game.
It took the Coyotes more than seven periods and about 21⁄2 games to score a much-needed goal, but it came at 7:43 of the second. Dvorak’s wraparound attempt to stuff the puck into a corner went off Shattenkirk and into the net.
The Ducks (3-3-2) cashed in on an early turnover when Jordan Gross tried to pass to Nick Schmaltz from behind his own net. Schmaltz couldn’t control the puck, and Jakob Silfverberg had a good look from the slot with a slap shot that got past Kuemper on his glove side.
Gross survived a turnover early in the game on Tuesday when Kuemper stopped a breakaway, but this time the Ducks made Arizona pay for the error.
The Coyotes were close to breaking their scoring slump on a couple of occasions in the first period, once when Clayton Keller hit a goal post at the end of a late power play.
Garland scored after some nifty stick handling and twisting with the puck in his possession, his shot from the wing 52 seconds into the third period going off a Ducks player to make it 2-1. After Danton Heinen tied the game, the Coyotes converted on a late power play with quick passing.
Schmaltz sent in the puck to Phil Kessel, who passed out to Dvorak for a shot with one knee down on the ice. The Coyotes’ power play was 0-for-9 over three games until that goal.
Garland drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with 3:34 to play in the game after he was tackled out of nowhere by Ducks goalie John Gibson. The two appeared to exchange some words before the incident.
“I don’t know what was said,” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said. “I still don’t understand why ‘Gars’ got the penalty. It doesn’t matter. They’re good refs. I don’t know what happened, but at that point it doesn’t matter, we were trying to win the game.”
Goal of the game
Dvorak’s second of the season could hardly have come at a better time, with the Coyotes not having scored since the third period on Jan. 22. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a spark the Coyotes needed.
Three Stars
Third star: Heinen, who scored for the second time in as many games for the Ducks.
Second star: Garland, who is tied for the team lead with seven points on the season despite being constantly roughed up by opponents.
First star: Dvorak. Now has three goals and seven points this season.