Coyotes move into 4th place with win over Ducks
The Arizona Coyotes needed a bounce-back performance on the heels of their most lopsided loss of the season, with the race for the postseason heating up.
They got it, with fresh faces leading the way to a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks Friday night in Southern California.
Lane Pederson, an undrafted forward prospect who has spent much of the past four seasons with the American Hockey League Tucson Roadrunners, scored a goal in his NHL debut. Defenseman Jordan Gross chipped in three assists in his first appearance with the Coyotes in two months. And forward Michael Bunting played well, providing a textbook screen of the goalie on teammate Nick Schmaltz’s goal that sealed the win.
Phil Kessel scored the go-ahead goal with 7:58 to play, a shot that went off a Ducks player. The Coyotes moved into fourth place and playoff position in the NHL’s Honda West Division.
Johan Larsson also scored for the Coyotes, who at 17-15-5 and 39 points overtook the St. Louis Blues (38) for fourth in the West. St. Louis fell 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche earlier on Friday.
Adin Hill, back in goal for a start after an abbreviated outing in Wednesday’s 9-3 loss at Colorado in which he gave up four goals in just over six minutes, stopped 27 shots.
“After the first period (Wednesday) I told ‘Hilly.’ ‘Get ready for Anaheim, you’re playing.’ All the greats... they have nights where it’s just not their night. To me it’s the next game, and Hilly bounced back. That’s character and he’s a battler.”
The Coyotes were the sharper team in the first period, but the Ducks got close when Christian Dvorak used his skate to slow down an Alexander Volkov shot enough for Hill to stop cleanly. Moments later, the Ducks cashed in on a 2-on-1 chance that the Coyotes had a chance to clear, but couldn’t control the puck.
Max Comtois fed Volkov for the goal and a 1-0 Anaheim lead with just under four minutes to go.
The Coyotes responded when Larsson took a pass from Kessel, sped around a defender near the boards and fired high over Ducks goalie Anthony Stolarz with only 1:17 left in the first.
The first period also saw Coyotes forward John Hayden and Anaheim’s Nicolas Deslauriers exchange blows, Hayden defending Schmaltz after an away-fromthe-action hit from Deslauriers. It was Hayden’s fourth fight of the season, and his teammates tapped their sticks on the bench in appreciation.
The first goal was the result of a failed defensive clearance, and the second Ducks’ goal was an even tougher break for the Coyotes. Jakob Silfverberg appeared to, with the side of his right foot, give a little kick to the puck and knock it past Hill at 15:32 of the second period.
The goal was reviewed and upheld, ruled a deflection and not a distinct kick, for a 2-1 Ducks lead.
The Coyotes had to move on from it, and they tied the score at 2 when Pederson was in the right spot to collect a puck sent off the boards by Dvorak that caromed right to him, and after putting a move on Stolarz scored at 10:47 of the second.
Pederson, a 24-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was on the taxi squad. He got a call from Coyotes assistant coach Jay Varady, who until this season was Tucson’s head coach, Thursday night to let him know there was a good chance he’d play Friday. He then called his parents and girlfriend to share the good news.
“The Coyotes took a chance on me. It’s been a road to get here,” Pederson said.
“Can’t thank my coaches in Tucson enough and the entire organization for believing me and helping me get here.”
Kessel’s shot was more of a pass, it seemed, and went off Volkov and into the net for his sixth goal in five games. Schmaltz sealed the win with 3:04 to play, his ninth goal of the season.
Goal of the Game
Pederson, with 17 points in 16 games at Tucson this season, made it a debut to remember in the second period.
Three Stars
Third star: Schmaltz, with a goal and assist. Ran his point streak to four games.
Second star: Pederson, who logged 12 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time in his debut.
First star: Gross, with three assists, two hits and three blocked shots in 15:04 of ice time.
‘Toc’ Talk
Tocchet said he opted to go with Pederson, Gross and Bunting to add some “juice” to the lineup. The calls worked.
Coyotes Faceoff
A chance to hear from AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin.