Yotes Notes: Ingram’s Masterton Nod & Roadrunners Stretch Run

Connor Ingram has impressed all season long, and now he’s being recognized on a grander scale.

The Arizona Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) selected Connor Ingram as the chapter’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”

The Coyotes’ 27-year-old netminder is tied for the league lead with six shutouts this season while racking up 21 wins, 14 more than he had all of last season with a number of games remaining this season. All of these accolades have come just years after nearly retiring due to an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder and lingering depression before he sought help through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in 2021.

Ingram has credited that decision, and program, with turning his life around.

"It meant a lot to me, it probably saved my life," Ingram said. "It wasn't easy. It's six weeks of work, there's no doubt about it. For me it was good to get a diagnosis to figure out what was going on, and then for me, find a community with people that were going through the same thing as me."

Earlier this season, Ingram became the first Coyotes goaltender since Mike Smith in 2012 to be named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending on December 3. During that stretch, Ingram stopped 89 of the 94 shots he faced, going 3-0-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average (GAA) and .947 save percentage (SV%) to lead the Coyotes on their season-long five-game winning streak against the previous five Stanley Cup winners. 

Another goalie in the Coyotes organization, Matt Villalta, earned his AHL-leading 28th win with the Tucson Roadrunners on Sunday, making 25 saves and two shootout stops to help the team to a critical stretch-run win. The Roadrunners occupy second place in the Pacific Division with five games remaining, and are looking to finish in the top four to secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Just five points separate second place through seventh place, so there’s still plenty of work on the horizon. 

Prospect Sam Lipkin, who was drafted 223rd overall at the 2021 NHL Draft, gave the Roadrunners a boost after signing a three-year entry-level contract last week. The 21-year-old wrapped up a successful two-year career with Quinnipiac University – where he won a National Championship in 2022-23 – and recorded an assist in Tucson’s 4-1 win over San Diego on Saturday.

The Roadrunners host the fourth-place Colorado Eagles for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday this week before wrapping up its regular season slate next week, visiting first-place Coachella Valley on Wednesday before closing it out with a two-game set at home against last place San Jose.

On to the Show!

The Week in Review

Wednesday, April 2 | vs. Vancouver Canucks | 2-1 Loss
STATS | RECAP

Dylan Guenther tied the game at one midway through the third period, but former Coyote Conor Garland’s game-winner with 1:51 remaining ultimately pushed the Canucks to victory despite a 31-save effort from Ingram. Vancouver has won both games 2-1 this season, as the two teams will close out the season series on Wednesday at Rogers Arena.

Quinn Hughes registered a two-point night, and the 24-year-old now has one goal and 12 assists in eight career games against the Coyotes.

Friday, April 5 | vs. Vegas Golden Knights | 7-4 Win
STATS | RECAP

Arizona stunned Vegas with a six-goal third period after entering the final frame trailing 4-1, marking the first time the Coyotes have done that since they were the Winnipeg Jets in 1988. Michael Carcone officially hit the 20-goal benchmark with his first goal of the night, while his second proved to be the game-winner.

Arizona tied the game within a span of 1:07 in the third, while every forward, and 15 of 18 skaters overall, registered at least one point in the win.

Karel Vejmelka made 20 saves en route to his fourth win in his last five starts.

Sunday, April 7 | at San Jose Sharks | 5-2 Win
STATS | RECAP

The Coyotes kicked off their final road trip in style, winning 5-2 in San Jose to sweep the season series against the Sharks. Guenther notched his fourth game-winning goal of the season, which is tied with Clayton Keller and Michael Carcone for the team lead.

The 20-year-old has 27 points in 40 games this season.

Lawson Crouse, Clayton Keller, Liam O’Brien, and Nick Schmaltz also scored in Arizona’s second consecutive win, which was Keller’s 11th straight game with at least a point. That streak leads the entire NHL, and marks the second-longest stretch of his career, behind only his 14-game streak in 2022-23.

Down on the Farm

Tucson Roadrunners (39-23-3-2, 2nd Place, Pacific Division)
- 2-1-0-0 Last Week
- April 3 at Bakersfield Condors, 4-1 Loss
- April 6 at San Diego Gulls, 4-1 Win
- April 7 at San Diego Gulls, 3-2 Win (shootout)

The Roadrunners picked up four much-needed points in the Pacific Division playoff race, and will open a critical two-game series against the Colorado Eagles in Tucson on Friday. The Eagles are two points behind the Roadrunners with a game in hand, so the head-to-head matchup will play a pivotal role in how things shape up in the standings.

Team Leaders
• Points: Doan (46)
• Goals: Doan (26)
• Assists Räty (28)
• GAA: Villalta (2.59)
• SV%: Villalta (.911)

Lipkin is just two games into his professional hockey journey after signing a three year entry-level-contract with the Coyotes last week. He joined the Roadrunners almost immediately, notching an assist in his first career game. The 21-year-old wrapped up a very successful career with the NCAA’s Quinnipiac University, registering a combined 78 points in 78 total games while winning a National Championship with them in the 2022-23 season.

Bear’s Necessities

“He’s had a much different effort defensively, and I’m really happy about the way he’s played. I like that line and Carcs is a big part of it because he has that offense in him. The way he works now defensively, he helps us all the time when he’s on the ice.” – André Tourigny on the recent play of forward Michael Carcone.

What to Watch For

Tuesday, April 9, at Seattle Kraken, 7 pm MST
Arizona and Seattle meet for the third-and-final time this season, with the Coyotes taking the first two matchups 4-3 (shootout) and 2-1 (overtime). Both of those, though, were at Mullett Arena. The Kraken have won four of their last six games – most recently a 3-1 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

Seattle is fifth in the Pacific Division, and with 77 points, mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Jared McCann leads the way with 60 points this season, followed by Oliver Bjorkstrand (55), Vince Dunn (46), Jordan Eberle (42), and Eeli Tolvanen (41). Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer have split time in net this season, with the former posting an 18-16-11 record with a 2.42 GAA and .918 SV%, while the latter is 13-14-2 with a 2.90 GAA and .896 SV%.

Daccord has been in net for both games against the Coyotes this season.

Seattle ranks 29th in the league with 2.62 goals-for per game, though it allows the eighth-fewest at 2.83. Its power play is 16-th best with a 21.24 percent conversion rate while ranking 17th with a 79.23 percent penalty kill.

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: KTAR News 92.3 FM

Wednesday, April 10, at Vancouver Canucks, 7:30 pm MST
The Coyotes and Canucks will face each other for the second time in a week, with Arizona still looking for its first win in the season series. Vancouver has won the first two games, both 2-1.

The Canucks are three points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division, though the Oilers have a game-in-hand as of Monday afternoon. Vancouver hosts Vegas on Monday before the Coyotes arrive for Wednesday’s game, in what’s the second of back-to-backs for Arizona.

J.T. Miller leads the team with 97 points on the year, while Elias Pettersson (86), Quinn Hughes (86), Brock Boeser (71), and Filip Hronek (48) round out the top five. Thatcher Demko has remained sidelined with an injury, and though he may return soon, Casey DeSmith and Arturs Silovs have split time in net during his absence. DeSmith is 11-9-6 with one shutout, a 2.96 GAA and .891 SV%, while Silovs is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .930 SV%.

Silovs earned the win last Wednesday.

Vancouver ranks seventh with 3.42 goals-for per game, and allows the sixth-fewest at 2.70. Its power play is 13th-best at 22.22 percent, while its penalty kill ranks 19th at 78.48 percent.

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: ESPN 620

Friday, April 12, at Edmonton Oilers, 6 pm MST
The Coyotes and Oilers are set to meet twice over a course of five days, wrapping up their three-game season series within the span of a week. The two have met once this season, a game the Oilers won 6-3 in Tempe on Feb. 19.

Edmonton has won five of six, and is chasing Vancouver for the top spot in the Pacific Division. It hosts Vegas on Wednesday before the Coyotes come to town on Friday.

The Oilers feature one of the most prolific offenses in the game, and rank fourth in the league with 3.58 goals-for per game. Connor McDavid leads the way with 136 points and 99 assists (which rank third and first in the league, respectively), followed by Leon Draisaitl (102 points), Evan Bouchard (79), Zach Hyman (73), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (64).

Stuart Skinner has done the lion’s share of work in net this season, and his 34 wins are tied for second-most in the NHL. Backup Calvin Pickard is 12-6-0 with a 2.38 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
Skinner earned the win against the Coyotes earlier this season.

Edmonton allows the ninth-fewest goals per game (2.86), and its power play ranks third (26.61 percent) while its penalty kill is 15th (79.35 percent).

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: Stream Only (Arizona Coyotes, Arizona Sports, NHL Apps)

Sunday, April 14, at Calgary Flames, 5 pm MST
The Coyotes wrap up this week in Calgary, playing in the third-and-final game between these two teams this season. The Flames have won both games to this point, 6-2 in Arizona on Jan. 11 and again 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 16 in Calgary.

The Flames rank sixth in the Pacific Division with 73 points, and are eliminated from playoff contention. The have lost eight of nine games, and play in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim before returning home to host Arizona on Sunday.

Nazem Kadri’s 66 points lead the team, followed by Yegor Sharangovich (56), Blake Coleman (52), MacKenzie Weegar (48), and Jonathan Huberdeau (48). Jakob Markström is 23-21-2 with a 2.74 GAA and .906 SV% this season, while Daniel Vladař is 8-9-2 with a 3.62 GAA and .882 SV%. Both goalies have earned a win against the Coyotes this season.

Calgary ranks 19th in the league with 3.04 goals-for per game, just one spot behind the Coyotes, while their 3.26 goals against are tied for 10th-most in the league. Their power play is 27th with a 16.88 percent conversion rate, and the penalty kill is 11th-best at 80.70 percent.

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona Sports