The last game against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night didn't end as the Arizona Coyotes had wished, especially for goalie Mike Smith who stopped 58 shots, but still took the loss.
Smith took a well-deserved rest for this game, and so did Anthony Duclair, but for a different reason. Smith has been outstanding, while Duclair has been in a season-long slump.
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The Coyotes sent down Anthony DeAngelo and Laurent Dauphin to their AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners and called up Brendan Perlini. Perlini is tied for the lead in goals with 11 in the AHL and hopes to spark a meager offense with his parent club.
The first period was competitive
The Coyotes looked much more spirited and ready to play than recently. Tobias Rieder showed why his play has accelerated to a pace which rates him as a valuable asset for the team. He scored on a wicked wrist shot off an excellent feed from Alex Goligoski at 9:28 on the power play.
However, the high-octane Blue Jackets came right back and tied the game 2:10 minutes later on their own power play, when former Coyote Sam Gagner slipped one under Louis Domingue to tie the game.
The Columbus crew outshot the Yotes 11-8 and were superior in the face-off circle by a 10-3 margin.
End of one, the Blue Jackets and Coyotes were tied at one.
Columbus wins the second period
The Coyotes got two penalties and the Blue Jackets got none, which meant the home team had two power plays to work their magic. The Columbus team leads the league in power play efficiency with a 24.6 per cent mark.
Yet, the Coyotes' Rieder was sent to the box at 3:56 for boarding and the Blue Jackets converted again with a power play tally. This time captain Nick Foligno was able to tuck a pass from Cam Atkinson by Domingue as it glanced off the post and into the net at 5:09. The play was started by Gagner, who faked a shot, finding Atkinson open near the left of the net.
The Coyotes' offense was weak and only managed five shots on Sergei Bobrovsky.
The third period belonged to Columbus as well
The Blue Jackets showed why they are an elite team by putting away the visiting Desert Dogs in the final period. Gagner again was credited with another goal, as Domingue kicked in a loose puck behind him inadvertently at 11:37 to increase the lead to 3-1. It was Gagner's 10th goal of the season, and he is definitely a good pickup that Columbus made this off-season.
Then at 15:00 Zach Werenski put the game out of reach with his goal, assisted by Gagner, who finished with two goals, two assists for the night.
Again, the lack of generating any shots on net bit the Coyotes efforts. With only five in the final period, and 18 for the game, the Coyotes were doomed.
They were also killed in the face-off circle, where they usually do much better. Not this time, as they lost 36 of 51 face-offs. Puck possession was not their forte in this game, nor has it been for a good amount of the season.
Next up
The Coyotes travel to Chicago to face the Western Conference leading Blackhawks. Mike Smith will be in the net, but Chicago is facing some injury woes with both Corey Crawford and Jonathan Towes out of the lineup. The Coyotes should take advantage of this and the Blackhawks poor penalty kill to grab two points on the road.