Stamkos scores twice in Lightning win against Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Steven Stamkos scored two goals in the third period for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 4-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Friday.

Corey Perry scored his 399th NHL goal, and Brayden Point scored for the Lightning (31-11-6), who haven't lost consecutive games in regulation this season. Tampa Bay lost to the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Thursday.
"It's just kind of been in our DNA for a while now, even going back to the last couple of playoff rounds, we've always bounced back after a loss," Stamkos said. "We didn't have the best start against Colorado, but it doesn't linger because we had a really good start tonight. We came in here and got the win after a game that we weren't really happy with."
Brian Elliott, in his second start since Dec. 31, made 16 saves for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy started 13 of the previous 14 games for Tampa Bay, which has won eight of its past 11.
"Coming off a tough game, the guys really pulled through," Elliott said. "You could tell that the gas was kind of running on empty by the end, but we pushed forward and 'Stammy' came up with a couple of big goals to put us over the edge."

Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist, Alex Galchenyuk scored for the fourth time in his past five games, and Karel Vejmelka made 28 saves for the Coyotes (12-32-4), who have lost eight of 10.
"We had a little bit of a slow start, but I thought we got better as the game went on," Keller said. "It was a bit of a weird game, but all in all, I think we battled hard. A few mistakes. They've got some great players …I was happy with how we battled back."
Stamkos gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead at 4:03 of the third period with a wrist shot from the right circle after Arizona forward Nick Schmaltz turned over the puck in the neutral zone.
Keller cut it to 3-2 at 9:54 before Stamkos made it 4-2 at 12:18 with his first multigoal game since Oct. 14 against the Detroit Red Wings.
Schmaltz scored at 18:22 for the 4-3 final, his third goal in two games and sixth in his past nine.
"We slowly worked ourself into it and I think overall we played a pretty solid game," Coyotes defenseman Anton Stralman said. "We put up a good fight and gave them a good shot, but they have a lot of power and they eventually came through."

Point made it 1-0 at 3:30 of the first period by leading a rush into the offensive zone and, using Arizona defenseman Dysin Mayo as a screen, scored on a wrist shot from the right circle. Perry's goal at 17:11 gave the Lightning a 2-0 lead.
"They're big, they're fast, they play well and there is no space, no space," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "I think we got better during the game. The second (period), the third, we had good momentum and we pushed."

Galchenyuk's goal at 19:08 made it 2-1 after Elliott left a rebound in front.
"It was probably a tough game for [Elliott] because he wasn't seeing a ton of shots early and then they started to get some chances," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He's obviously not going to get the starts that [Vasilevskiy] is, but his job is to try and get points when you're in there and he's been doing that."
NOTES:Perry needs one goal to become the ninth active NHL player with 400 goals. Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin leads with 759 and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby is second with 499. … Perry has scored 13 goals this season, his first with Tampa Bay. ... Stamkos has scored eight points (four goals, four assists) during a five-game point streak against Arizona. … Tampa Bay is 5-0-1 in the second game of a back to back. … Arizona played the first game of an eight-game homestand. The Coyotes don't play on the road again until March 8 at the Detroit Red Wings. … Point has scored in 15 of his past 18 games (11 goals, nine assists) since returning from an upper-body injury Dec. 28.