Coyotes’ 4th line steps up with scoring spurt

The lack of star power in the Coyotes forward group has long been trumpeted as a reason to rely on all four lines to produce offensively.

That didn’t necessarily mean the fourth line should be better than the first two, but that’s certainly been the case lately for the Coyotes.

“We’re cycling the puck well,” winger Paul Bissonnette said. “We’re pretty much a meat-and-potatoes line, where we know what we’re going to do and keep it simple, and sometimes that’s the best mentality.”

That line, also featuring center Kyle Chipchura and winger Nick Johnson, entered Saturday’s meeting with the Ducks having contributed a goal in four straight games.

Bissonnette recently had a threegame point streak, reaching a career-high of three assists. Chipchura already has matched his career high for goals with four. He’s arguably been the Coyotes most consistent forward in the past week.

“He’s just a determined, quiet guy that works at his game,” coach Dave Tippett said. “Those are the kind of guys you like to see have success because he does so much to help our team. When he gets a few goals or a few points, it gives him the recognition he probably deserves.”

Chipchura worked his way into the NHL being a defensive sparkplug, and that’s what landed him on the Coyotes radar. But his scoring touch has been a welcome addition.

“They seem to come in bunches, especially at this level,” Chipchura said. “Being consistent is the hard- est part, and you just try to do what you can and try to keep them coming,” Chipchura said.

Torres settles in

As he’s accumulated more games, winger Raffi Torres has only moved up the depth chart — from the fourth line to his current post alongside captain Shane Doan and center Matthew Lombardi.

Part of that is due to injuries, but Torres has also played himself into more minutes and power play time with the second unit.

Before Saturday’s game, Torres had four points in his past five games, and last Sunday’s two-goal performance in Calgary was indicative of his offensive instincts around the net. In time, Torres should only feel more comfortable with the new style he’s adopting to fit within the rules.

“I still have a lot more to give,” Torres said. “I still feel like I’m playing at around 75 percent. I still feel like I can contribute more (and) do more out there to make a bigger impact.”

Roster options

The Coyotes recalled forwards Chris Brown and Rob Klinkhammer from the American Hockey League to have a pair of healthy alternatives with center Martin Hanzal( upper body) and winger Radim Vrbata (lower body) on injured reserve. But they’re also here to add competition within the lineup.

“The reality is we’ve got some players that need to be better,” Tippett said.