Coyotes damage Lightning’s playoff hopes with 5-3 win

TAMPA, Fla. — The Arizona Coyotes, not the Tampa Bay Lightning, looked like the team chasing a postseason spot.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a goal and an assist during Arizona’s three-goal third period, Louis Domingue stopped 36 shots and the Coyotes damaged Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night.

Arizona, with the NHL’s second-worst record, also got goals from Christian Fischer, Christian Dvorak, Radim Vrbata and Connor Murphy.

The Coyotes were coming off a 3-1 loss Monday night at Nashville.

“I thought our guys were in real good spirits all day,” coach Dave Tippett said. “You wonder, tough back-to-back, how they were going to be. They were loose, they were ready to play.”

Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Lightning, who remained four points behind Toronto for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves.

“There’s been a lot of frustrating games this year, so this ranks up there,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “How important the game is to us. That 3-2 lead at home in a must-win for us, to give it up like we did, it’s frustrating, to say the least.”

Tampa Bay has dropped three in a row at home, allowing five goals in each defeat.

“All of a sudden, defending hasn’t become important,” Cooper said. “If you’re not going to defend, you’re not going to win.”

Cooper pointed out that Arizona blocked 25 shots, compared to six by the Lightning.

Ekman-Larsson and Vrbata scored two minutes apart early in the third as the Coyotes went up 4-3. Murphy had a late empty-netter that went off Hedman’s glove.

Arizona has been outscored 81-52 during the third period this season.

The Lightning took a 3-2 lead late in the second when Namestnikov’s shot hit the post and then went off Arizona left wing Anthony Duclair.