Coyotes Top Ducks 2-1 in Home Opener on Saturday

STATS

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Mullett Magic is very much back.

Jason Zucker and Clayton Keller scored, Karel Vejmelka made 32 saves, and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in their home opener at Mullett Arena on Saturday.

Frank Vatrano scored and Lukas Dostal made 25 saves for the Ducks, who fell to 1-3-0 on the season. The Coyotes improved to 3-2-0, and play next in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Keller's goal, his third of the season, came in the second period during a delayed penalty against the Ducks and proved to be the game-winner. He wristed it up and over Dostal after the Coyotes held the zone for an extended amount of time, sending the capacity crowd at Mullett Arena into a frenzy.

Arizona has won two straight on the season, and earned a victory in their home opener for the first time since topping the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 15, 2016.

"It’s so much fun at The Mullett. The boys love it," forward Liam O'Brien said. "It was a blast being in front of our fans and getting them going, you could tell they were all riled up. You can hear them, they’re on top of you, and it’s fun. A ton of fun."

The game was testy throughout, with both teams combining for 34 penalty minutes. Arizona finished 1-for-5 with the power play, and killed off two of the three penalties they were whistled for en route to the win.

Vejmelka earned first-star honors after stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced in the game. The 27-year-old is 2-1-0 on the season, and has made at least 33 saves in every start this year. His performance on Saturday comes on the heels of teammate Connor Ingram's sparkling play against the Blues on Thursday, and the two netminders have been rock solid for the team dating back to last year.

"We’re really happy about their performance, both of them," head coach André Tourigny said. "Every night they give us a chance, so let’s keep it rolling."

Zucker opened the scoring with a power-play tally at 17:41 of the first, rifling a one-timer from the top of the circle past Dostal. Juuso Valimaki and Matias Maccelli assisted on the goal.

Zucker (lower body) and Michael Carcone (upper body) both left and did not return, though Tourigny did not have an update on either's status following the game. The Coyotes finished play with just 10 forwards, but never flinched en route to their third win of the season.

"I really loved the way our guys reacted," Tourigny said. "They really pushed through and found a way to win. I think it was a huge win for us."

O'Brien was proud of the resolve Arizona showed throughout a chippy, testy game.

"That was hockey. That was good ‘ol hockey, and I love that," he said. "I love the pushback from everybody in the dressing room. It wasn’t just a few guys, it was everybody.

"That’s important, team toughness, and you can tell that we have it in this room."

Vatrano cut the lead in half while the Ducks were on the power play, one-timing a pass from Jakob Silfverberg past Vejmelka on their 27th shot of the game, but Anaheim was never able to find the equalizer in the final frame.

"It was a big battle for us tonight," Vejmelka said. "Everyone was excited for our first home game. Everyone enjoyed it, and it’s our first home win, so it’s a great feeling."

The Coyotes are back in action on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. The game will be broadcast on the below networks, and puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm MST.

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson, 15.2 Cottonwood/Prescott/Flagstaff/Lake Havasu/Kingman
• Streaming: N/A
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95, Orbitel 200, Mediacom 107 (Pinal County)
• Tucson Cable: Cox 85, Xfinity 1179, Orbitel 208
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Prescott: Cable One Prescott channel 61

WHERE TO LISTEN:
Radio: ESPN 620 AM
Streaming: Arizona Coyotes App, Arizona Sports App