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Keller’s 2nd of game in OT gives Coyotes 5-4 win over Wild :: WRALSportsFan.com
TEMPE, Ariz. — TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Clayton Keller’s second objective of the sport at 4:09 of time beyond regulation lifted the Arizona Coyotes to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday evening.
Barrett Hayton had two targets and an help for Arizona. Keller’s pair gave him a team-high 29 for the season and Brett Ritchie scored his eighth — and second in three video games since being acquired from Calgary in a commerce involving his brother Nick. Ritchie additionally had two assists. Karel Vejmelka had 30 saves.
Minnesota tied its franchise file factors streak at 13 video games (10-0-3). The Wild matched the workforce mark (12-0-1) set from Dec. 2-29, 2016. However the Wild trails Dallas by one level (85-84) within the Central Division.
The Coyotes (4-0-1) have their very own factors streak going, transferring to 5 video games with the win Sunday. That began after a loss to Carolina on March 3 — the day of the buying and selling deadline which noticed Arizona unload a number of veterans together with Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere and Nick Bjugstad.
“Now we have good management,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny mentioned of his gamers. “They had been old style hockey there. There was some battle, some toughness, quite a lot of emotion. Our guys pushed again a lot, I’m actually pleased with them. We obtained down within the sport and we discovered our means again, we fought till the top.
“The boys wish to battle for one another. They don’t wish to simply cease. We all know we’re rebuilding; we all know the scenario. However that doesn’t change us. We present up with a goal.”
Keller agreed. “We traded quite a lot of guys away and have had high quality guys are available in and guys from (minor league affiliate) Tucson step up and assist us out,” he mentioned.
Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Reaves, Matt Boldy and Connor Dewar had targets for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson completed with 18 saves.
“We had been slightly unfastened (the final two video games) defensively and we have to dial it again in,” Wild coach Dean Evason mentioned. “They performed laborious, we performed laborious, there was quite a lot of agency hockey. They caught slightly bounce on the finish and we did not.”
The Wild performed their second sport with out injured Kirill Kaprizov, who went out Wednesday in opposition to Winnipeg with a lower-body harm and will miss the remainder of the common season. Kaprizov leads Minnesota with 39 targets.
It was a bodily sport from the start — there have been 4 fights, with the principle occasion coming halfway by the third interval when Minnesota’s Jake Middleton and Arizona’s Lawson Crouse traded a number of punches. That battle was prompted when the Coyotes’ Jack McBain knocked down Mats Zuccarello.
A frenetic first interval featured two targets from Hayton, two fights and a uncommon Reaves objective.
Hayton began the scoring early, beating Gustavsson on a wrist shot from the slot 1:28 into the sport.
Reaves and Arizona’s Bokondji Imama dropped the gloves at 2:59, however the battle consisted largely of posturing and slightly wrestling. They nonetheless obtained 5 minutes every. The second battle at 4:28. featured Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno and the Coyotes’ Liam O’Brien.
The Wild tied it at 5:32 on Zucccarello’s twenty second objective of the season.
Hayton scored his second of the evening, and thirteenth of the season, on the facility play 24 seconds after Frederick Gaudreau was penalized for tripping.
Nevertheless, Reaves — parked in entrance of Vejmelka — scored his second of the season at 18:35.
Boldy broke in alone on Vejmelka and scored his nineteenth 1:50 into the second interval to offer the Wild their first lead at 3-2.
And the third battle of the evening broke out lower than 5 minutes into that interval when Minnesota’s Mason Shaw and Arizona’s Connor Mackey squared off.
Dewar scored with 5:01 left within the second earlier than Ritchie reduce it to 4-3 with 1:12 left within the interval.
After the raucous exercise of the center of the interval, Arizona tied it up on Keller’s objective with 7:54 left.
ICE CHIPS
Foligno went to the locker room early within the third interval with what seemed to be a lower-body harm. He was gradual to get to his toes, went slowly off the ice and slammed his stick in opposition to the boards on the best way off. He didn’t return. … Coyotes forwards Nick Schmaltz and Christian Fischer had been each out with decrease physique accidents. … Zuccarello’s objective tied him for second on the Wild with Joel Erikkson Ek with 22.
NEXT
Wild: At St. Louis on Wednesday evening.
Coyotes: Host Calgary on Tuesday evening. ___
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