Coyotes Close Out Homestand With 5-2 Win over Penguins

STATS

Heading into Monday night’s game, the Arizona Coyotes had not defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven years.

Yet another complete team outing – combined with a little Mullett Magic – squashed that streak in a hurry.

Jazon Zucker notched a goal and an assist, Juuso Välimäki, Alex Kerfoot, Lawson Crouse, and Nick Bjugstad also scored, and the Coyotes topped the Penguins 5-2 at Mullett Arena on Monday for their first win against Pittsburgh since Feb. 11, 2017, and the first in regulation since Oct. 10, 2015.

Connor Ingram made 25 saves to earn his second consecutive win, improving to 17-9-1 on the season.

The Coyotes also inched closer to the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot, climbing to within two points of the Nashville Predators with two games in hand.

Arizona defeated Nashville 3-2 on Saturday.

“This was a huge game for us coming off a huge game against Nashville,” Zucker said. “These games are huge for us in this playoff race heading into the bye week, so we have to make sure we stay dialed in, and tonight was a great step in that direction.”

Lars Eller and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins, who dropped their second straight game. Tristan Jarry made 22 saves, dropping to 12-14-4 this season.

The Coyotes now hit the road to close out their pre-All-Star break schedule with games at Florida, Tampa Bay, and Carolina, magnifying their recent two-game stretch at home even more.

“We played well,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Good team on the other side, they’re tough to play against. They work hard in the offensive zone, they have really good sticks, and they create turnovers. It’s tough to defend against that team, so it was a really good job by the boys.”

Arizona never trailed in the win, jumping out to a 1-0 lead at 2:23 of the first period after Zucker took a pass from Logan Cooley before beating Jarry. The 32-year-old, who played 172 games with the Penguins, has five points over his last five games.

Eller tied it up 4:50 into the second period with his eighth goal of the season, wristing a puck that hit Ingram before bouncing behind him and over the goal line, but Välimäki restored Arizona’s lead at 11:04 of the middle frame with his first goal of the season.

It was the defenseman’s first game back in the lineup since Jan. 7, and first point since recording an assist against the Penguins on Dec. 12.

“You could probably see a little bit on the celly there that it felt pretty good,” Välimäki said. “It’s been too long since the last one, so I hope this will kind of open things up for me, to be honest.”

Crosby evened it up at 16:30 with his 27th goal of the season, chipping a puck from down low past Ingram on the power play, but Kerfoot answered back 91 seconds later, taking a pass from Zucker behind the net before beating Jarry to make it 3-2.

Then, at 4:10 of the third period, Mullett Magic kicked in.

The Penguins were playing shorthanded, but drew a delayed penalty on Zucker, and inadvertently put the puck into their own net while trying to kill time to extend their own power-play opportunity. Kris Letang’s pass bounced off Malkin’s stick and redirected into the empty net, marking a power-play goal for Crouse, who was the last to touch the puck.

The moment seemed to shift the momentum entirely to the Coyotes, and it was one that neither Zucker nor Välimäki had ever seen in person. According to NHL Stats, the goal was the first instance on record in NHL history of a team scoring a power-play goal with zero power-play shots on goal.

“I was happy for Crouser to be able to get that one,” Zucker said with a smile. “I think he took it off his head, and about three minutes later ended up with a goal, so good for him.”

Välimäki had never seen such a goal before, at least in person.

“I’ve only seen videos of it happening somewhere, but never seen it in a game,” he said. “That was wild, for sure.”

Arizona took control from there, killing off the penalty before Bjugstad added a breakaway goal at 7:04 to make it 5-2, essentially icing the game.

The Coyotes have won two straight games against teams also in their respective Wild Card races, and have 15 home wins through the season’s first 45 games, marking the second-best such mark in Coyotes team history.”

“It’s awesome,” Välimäki  said. “We have a great group of guys, and that obviously makes it more fun. It was fun coming to the rink, and when you’re playing well and you’re winning, it’s double the fun, so it’s pretty awesome.”

The Coyotes are back in action on Wednesday against the Florida Panthers in the first of three consecutive road games before the All-Star break. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 pm MST, and the game will be broadcast on Arizona 61 (TV) and ESPN 620 (radio).