Dvorak, Burmistrov power Coyotes to win over Capitals
Less than a week after getting rolled by the Capitals in Washington, the Coyotes were the ones in control – pulling away for a 6-3 win Friday at Gila River Arena that snapped a four-game losing streak.
Centers Christian Dvorak and Alexander Burmistrov each scored twice, with both chipping in an important insurance goal on the power play in the second period.
Dvorak converted on a breakaway with an impressive wrist shot at 13:28 to put the Coyotes up 4-2 before Burmistrov reinstated the three-goal cushion at 17:52 with a rising backhand over Capitals goalie Braden Holtby.
Much of Arizona’s offense, however, came in the first period – a blistering start that was a far cry from the sluggish debut the team had last Saturday en route to a 4-1 loss to the NHL’s top team.
Dvorak opened the scoring 7:26 into the first with a slick goal as he pulled up along the wall, cut inside and then moved around winger Andre Burakovsky before wiring the puck by Holtby. Just 1:39 later, center Josh Jooris buried the rebound off an Alex Goligoski shot. And then at 13:12, Burmistrov one-timed a Shane Doan pass to make it 3-0. This was Burmistrov’s first career multigoal game.
The Capitals yanked Holtby after that, but his replacement, Philipp Grubauer, didn’t face a single shot the rest of the period.
Holtby returned for the second, and the Capitals started to orchestrate a comeback.
Center Nicklas Backstrom scored off a one-timer on the power play just 1:59 into the period.
The Capitals went 1-for-1 with the man advantage, while the Coyotes were 2-for-2. And at 11:04, winger Daniel Winnik slid a rebound into a mostly empty net after a save by goalie Louis Domingue pulled him to the side. In the third, center Peter Holland tacked on a sixth for the Coyotes at 10:17 before winger Justin Williams' deflection 20 seconds later made it 6-3. Domingue had a career-high 45 saves; Holtby finished with 18. Washington Arizona Coyotes 6, Capitals 3 0 2 3 2 1 1 — 3 6 First Period—1, Arizona, Dvorak 13, 7:26. 2, Arizona, Jooris 4 (Goligoski), 9:05. 3, Arizona, Burmistrov 2 (Doan, Crouse), 13:12. Penalties—None. Second Period—4, Washington, Backstrom 23 (Oshie, Johansson), 1:59 (pp). 5, Washington, Winnik 12 (Orlov, Wilson), 11:04. 6, Arizona, Dvorak 14, 13:28 (pp). 7, Arizona, Burmistrov 3 (Domi, Deangelo), 17:52 (pp). Penalties—Ekman-Larsson, ARI, (cross checking), 1:18; Oshie, WSH, (tripping), 12:07; Winnik, WSH, (hooking), 16:32. Third Period—8, Arizona, Holland 5, 10:17. 9, Washington, Williams 22 (Niskanen, Johansson), 10:37. Penalties—None. Shots on Goal—Washington 11-18-19—48. Arizona 15-6-4—25. Power-play opportunities—Washington 1 of 1; Arizona 2 of 2. Goalies—Washington, Grubauer 11-6-2 (0 shots-0 saves), Holtby 4012-6 (25-19). Arizona, Domingue 10-15-1 (48-45). A—14,290 (17,125). T—2:32. Referees—Tom Kowal, Brian Pochmara. Linesmen—Brandon Gawryletz, Tony Sericolo.