Garland scores three points for Coyotes in win against Golden Knights

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Conor Garland had a goal and two assists, and the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 at Gila River Arena on Friday.

Christian Dvorak and Nick Schmaltz each had a goal and an assist, Drake Caggiula had two assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves for Arizona (2-2-1), which lost the first two of a four-game set against Vegas.
"It felt like a must-win," Garland said. "It was a response game for us, and I felt like we had our legs and we pushed the pace. They had a couple of pushes, but we held our ground. It was a good response from us."
Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist, and Robin Lehner made 21 saves for the Golden Knights (4-1-0), who were trying to win the first five games of a season for the first time in their history.

"They played a great defensive game, and we didn't execute," Theodore said. "We've got to be a lot better defensively, especially in our transition. They took it to us."
Derick Brassard gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead on a slap shot from the left face-off circle at 7:55 of the second period after taking a lead pass from Tyler Pitlick following a turnover by Golden Knights forward Mark Stone. It was Brassard's first goal for Arizona.
Schmaltz scored his third goal in three games to make it 3-1 at 12:00 after Lehner's clearing pass was intercepted.

"I didn't think we were that bad in Vegas, and to be honest, I wasn't really concerned," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "I just thought we needed to shore up a couple of things. I thought we were tenacious on the puck, the forechecking was good and 'Kuemps' was excellent."
Garland went from his forehand to his backhand in front for a 4-1 lead at 1:25 of the third period.
"We don't have guys who are going to hammer guys on the ice, but we have guys who are diligent," Tocchet said. "They're pesky. There's different ways to have intimidation, and ours is with our speed and staying diligent on our checks."
Cody Glass made it 4-2 at 11:04 with his first goal of the season. Stone had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (two goals, six assists).
Jordan Oesterle scored a power-play goal into an empty net with 59 seconds left for the 5-2 final. It was his first goal.
Dvorak scored off the rebound of a shot by Garland on the power play at 3:22 of the first period to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. It was his first of the season.

"He did a good job of throwing it on net, and the rebound came right to me, and it was a pretty easy one," Dvorak said.
Theodore scored his third goal in two games to tie it 1-1 at 1:19 of the second period.
Defenseman Victor Soderstrom, the No. 11 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, made his debut for the Coyotes, who will be without top defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson for several weeks because of a lower-body injury. Soderstrom was plus-1 in 15:18.
"I liked his patience," Tocchet said. "I don't think the moment was too big for him. I thought he was fine. I think it's a good steppingstone for him."
The four-game set concludes Sunday at Arizona. The Golden Knights won the first two games at home, 5-2 on Wednesday and 4-2 on Monday.
"Obviously, we're not happy with this," Lehner said. "Now we need a strong effort next game and bounce back."
NOTES: It was Lehner's first loss in six regular-season games with Vegas since being acquired Feb. 24, 2020, in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who acquired him earlier that day from the Chicago Blackhawks. … For the second time this season, the Golden Knights played with 13 forwards and five defensemen in their lineup, rather than the usual 12 forwards and six defensemen. … Vegas was 1-for-4 on the power play and is 2-for-18 for this season. … The Coyotes are 11-2-4 in their past 17 home games dating to last season. … Soderstrom is the fourth defenseman from the 2019 draft to make his debut (Bowen Byram, Colorado Avalanche; Ville Heinola, Winnipeg Jets; and Tobias Bjornfot, Los Angeles Kings).