By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Playing on the road against a quality opponent while trying to break out of a losing skid is just the kind of situation the Toronto Maple Leafs brought Patrick Marleau in for.
Marleau came through by scoring early in the third period and the Maple Leafs beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 Wednesday night to end a three-game losing streak. It was Marleau’s 100th career game-winning goal.
“Been around a while I guess,” Marleau said. “No, it’s pretty cool to say you got a hundred of those. Hope there’s a lot more where that came from.”
Connor Brown also scored and Frederik Andersen stopped 28 shots for the Maples Leafs, who had dropped four of their last five after starting the season 6-1-0.
“I think we did a lot of things better tonight,” forward James van Riemsdyk said. “I maybe don’t think we did a full 60, but we found a way to win and that’s the most important thing. We know we can be better still.”
Ondrej Kase scored for the Ducks, who had won two straight. John Gibson made 26 saves.
Marleau puts the Maple Leafs back in front 1:09 into the third with a powerful backhand shot for his 513th career goal.
“It was a great job by him outmuscling the guy in front there,” said defenseman Ron Hainsey, who had two assists. “I can’t really speak on what it’s like to have 100 game-winners, really, or 100 goals, so that’s pretty incredible. Obviously speaks to his career’s longevity.”
Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock shuffled his lines in an attempt to break out of the funk, asking Marleau to play center with Brown and van Riemsdyk on the wing among other changes. The shakeup worked as the Maples Leafs controlled the first and third periods.
The Maple Leafs took the lead at 7:54 of the first period when van Riemsdyk threaded a pass to a charging Brown at the front of the crease. With Brown a step in front of two Ducks defenders, all he had to do was reach out his stick and tip the puck between Gibson’s legs for his fourth goal.
It was van Riemsdyk’s seventh assist in 10 games against the Ducks.
But the Maple Leafs almost immediately gave back the advantage. Kase lobbed the puck towards the net where it struck defenseman Andreas Borgman in the right ankle and careened into the net.
After scoring five goals in 53 games as a rookie last season, Kase has the same number through nine games this season.
There was no scoring in the second period, thanks largely to the iron. Auston Matthews hit the post on a breakaway after a penalty expired to start the second, while Ducks forward Rickard Rakell and defenseman Francois Beauchemin each had shots hit the crossbar during power plays.
The Ducks were 0 for 4 with the man-advantage.
“You make your luck,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. “We weren’t sharp on the power play. We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to deliver in those situations, for sure.”
Jakob Silfverberg had the tying goal waived off with 1:38 remaining after the officials ruled he kicked the puck in. The play stood as called after a brief video review.
Leo Komarov scored an empty-netter 8 seconds later.
NOTES: Hainsey has three assists in three games. ... The Maple Leafs are 4-1-0 against the Western Conference.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday looking to sweep the season series after winning 3-2 in Toronto on Oct. 23.
Ducks: Host the Nashville Predators on Friday in their first meeting since Anaheim was ousted from the Western Conference final in six games in May.
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More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Jones makes 19 saves to lead Sharks past Predators 4-1
By RICK EYMER
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — In a game that included 20 penalties and 52 penalty minutes, the San Jose Sharks found a way to win ugly.
Joonas Donskoi and Mikkel Boedker each had a goal and an assist to lead the Sharks past the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
“At times it was maybe a little sloppy, but they’re a team that has good sticks, they get in on the forecheck,” San Jose captain Joe Pavelski said. “Guys just grinded it out, really. We were able to get a few goals in different situations. It was just a good, hard-fought win.”
Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored and Martin Jones made 19 saves for the Sharks, who have won six of eight.
“It was a little sloppy but we found a way and an important two points,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “We had some great contributions. I think Joakim Ryan blocked nine shots. Some of those guys are really doing a good job for us.”
Roman Josi scored for the Predators, who lost their second straight after earning at least a point in six of their previous seven games. Pekka Rinne stopped 19 shots but fell to 11-7-4 against the Sharks.
“We’re not turning pucks over. We’re forechecking hard but we’re just not working as a five-man unit,” Josi said. “Once again, we took way too many penalties. We scored a goal and then took two or three penalties and that kills our momentum.”
Donskoi scored an easy goal late in the first period thanks to the work of Boedker, who fired a pass to defenseman Tim Heed at the right side of the crease. Heed tapped a quick pass to Donskoi, who had an open net.
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s skating with the puck,” DeBoer said. “He looks like the Joonas Donskoi of two years ago, and that’s what we need. I know he’s healthy. He had a good summer, he worked hard and he was determined to have a bounce-back year this year. We need him.”
Pavelski redirected a shot from Brenden Dillon midway through the second period to make it 2-0.
Josi picked up the puck from a faceoff and weaved through a bit of traffic before finding the top corner of the net to bring Nashville to 2-1.
“We had opportunities to execute in the offensive zone and we didn’t capitalize,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “Not a lot of opportunities for them, but the ones they did get they made the most of. We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with the penalties.”
The Sharks scored a power-play goal less than four minutes later. Vlasic found the net after taking a pass from Kevin Labanc.
The Predators opened a four-game road trip over six days. The Sharks are in the midst of playing eight of nine at home.
Boedker scored a 4-on-4 goal late in the third period after Chris Tierney won a battle for the puck behind the net and found him open in front.
“You’re playing Rinne. It’s always hard to score on him,” DeBoer said. “I thought we were opportunistic. I didn’t think we created a lot of chances. The ones we created we found a way to stick in the net. That’s not going to happen every night, but the nights it does happen, we’ll take it.”
NOTES: Sharks C Joe Thornton became the 20th NHL player to reach 1,400 career points when he assisted on Pavelski’s goal. ... Donskoi scored his fourth goal in seven games. ... Heed has points in four of his last five games. ... Josi has six points in his last seven games. ... Predators C Calle Jarnkrok got his 50th career assist. ... Ryan got his first NHL assist on Boedker’s goal.
UP NEXT
Predators: At the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
Sharks: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
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More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — In a game that included 20 penalties and 52 penalty minutes, the San Jose Sharks found a way to win ugly.
Joonas Donskoi and Mikkel Boedker each had a goal and an assist to lead the Sharks past the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
“At times it was maybe a little sloppy, but they’re a team that has good sticks, they get in on the forecheck,” San Jose captain Joe Pavelski said. “Guys just grinded it out, really. We were able to get a few goals in different situations. It was just a good, hard-fought win.”
Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored and Martin Jones made 19 saves for the Sharks, who have won six of eight.
“It was a little sloppy but we found a way and an important two points,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “We had some great contributions. I think Joakim Ryan blocked nine shots. Some of those guys are really doing a good job for us.”
Roman Josi scored for the Predators, who lost their second straight after earning at least a point in six of their previous seven games. Pekka Rinne stopped 19 shots but fell to 11-7-4 against the Sharks.
“We’re not turning pucks over. We’re forechecking hard but we’re just not working as a five-man unit,” Josi said. “Once again, we took way too many penalties. We scored a goal and then took two or three penalties and that kills our momentum.”
Donskoi scored an easy goal late in the first period thanks to the work of Boedker, who fired a pass to defenseman Tim Heed at the right side of the crease. Heed tapped a quick pass to Donskoi, who had an open net.
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s skating with the puck,” DeBoer said. “He looks like the Joonas Donskoi of two years ago, and that’s what we need. I know he’s healthy. He had a good summer, he worked hard and he was determined to have a bounce-back year this year. We need him.”
Pavelski redirected a shot from Brenden Dillon midway through the second period to make it 2-0.
Josi picked up the puck from a faceoff and weaved through a bit of traffic before finding the top corner of the net to bring Nashville to 2-1.
“We had opportunities to execute in the offensive zone and we didn’t capitalize,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “Not a lot of opportunities for them, but the ones they did get they made the most of. We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with the penalties.”
The Sharks scored a power-play goal less than four minutes later. Vlasic found the net after taking a pass from Kevin Labanc.
The Predators opened a four-game road trip over six days. The Sharks are in the midst of playing eight of nine at home.
Boedker scored a 4-on-4 goal late in the third period after Chris Tierney won a battle for the puck behind the net and found him open in front.
“You’re playing Rinne. It’s always hard to score on him,” DeBoer said. “I thought we were opportunistic. I didn’t think we created a lot of chances. The ones we created we found a way to stick in the net. That’s not going to happen every night, but the nights it does happen, we’ll take it.”
NOTES: Sharks C Joe Thornton became the 20th NHL player to reach 1,400 career points when he assisted on Pavelski’s goal. ... Donskoi scored his fourth goal in seven games. ... Heed has points in four of his last five games. ... Josi has six points in his last seven games. ... Predators C Calle Jarnkrok got his 50th career assist. ... Ryan got his first NHL assist on Boedker’s goal.
UP NEXT
Predators: At the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
Sharks: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
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More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
Schneider stops 37 shots, Devils beat Canucks 2-0
Associated Press
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks are probably glad they traded Cory Schneider to an Eastern Conference team.
Schneider made 37 saves for his first shutout this season and the 24th of his career as the New Jersey Devils defeated Vancouver 2-0 on Wednesday night.
Dealt to the Devils for the ninth pick in the 2013 NHL draft, which the Canucks used to select center Bo Horvat, the 31-year-old Schneider improved to 5-1-2 against his former team — including five straight wins — to go with a .940 save percentage.
“I’ve always loved playing in this city and this building,” Schneider said. “I’ve always felt really comfortable and at home here. It was fun.”
Jimmy Hayes scored and Drew Stafford added an empty-net goal for New Jersey (9-2-0), which surpassed the 1993-94 squad for the best start to a season in franchise history.
“It’s nice to see the guys get rewarded for a lot of hard work,” coach John Hynes said. “We (talked) in training camp about the way we wanted to play and the work ethic we wanted to have.”
The first-place Devils have won three straight and remain the only NHL team with a perfect road record (5-0-0).
Taylor Hall added two assists and has three goals and six assists in his last eight games against the Canucks.
“We’ve been scoring a lot of goals,” Schneider said. “But it felt like it was time to spin a game like this and get my teammates some help.”
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for Vancouver (6-4-2), which had 80 shot attempts to New Jersey’s 42. The Canucks have lost two in a row, including Monday’s 2-1 overtime setback against Dallas.
“They had 21 blocked shots,” Vancouver coach Travis Green said. “We might have cut our shots a little too fine, but you are either shooting to score or shooting to get a rebound.
“We had a lot of both.”
New Jersey snapped a scoreless tie at 10:09 of the second period after Canucks rookie Brock Boeser had his shot blocked in the offensive zone.
The Devils raced the other way, with Markstrom stopping Hall’s initial effort on a 2-on-1, but the puck bounced past Vancouver’s backcheckers right to Hayes, who fired in a one-timer for his third of the season.
“Bit of a knuckler,” Markstrom said. “I got a little eager to get out and get it. It kind of curved in. You want that back, especially in a game like this.”
The Canucks came close to grabbing the lead earlier in the period when Daniel Sedin’s redirection off a slap pass from twin brother Henrik from the high slot though a screen hit the base of the post and stayed out.
Schneider had to be really sharp on a four-save sequence with under three minutes to go in the period after the Devils went ahead, saving Alexander Burmistrov’s one-timer before also stopping two off the stick of Sam Gagner and another from Alex Biega.
“Cory was the difference tonight. He was fantastic,” Hynes said. “The result would not have happened if Cory didn’t play as well as he did.”
Wednesday marked the return to the New Jersey lineup of forward Brian Boyle, who announced on Sept. 19 he was battling myelogenous leukemia, a form of blood and bone marrow cancer. The 32-year-old takes medication when he wakes up and before he goes to bed, and had been practicing with the Devils since last week.
“The guys in here, the last six weeks, whether they know it or not ... it’s just been a tremendous boost of energy for me,” said Boyle, who finished with 15:19 of ice time in his first game since April 23. “I can’t thank them enough.”
Playing just 11 forwards after Marcus Johansson was injured less than a minute into the first period, Schneider and the Devils killed off two Canucks power plays in the third.
Vancouver kept coming, but Sven Baertschi shoveled wide of an open net off a feed from Horvat.
With Markstrom on the bench for an extra attacker, Schneider stoned Derek Pouliot with just more than a minute to play and then Daniel Sedin with 42 seconds left before Stafford scored his fourth into an empty net to seal it.
“We should have won this one,” Daniel Sedin said. “Give (Schneider) a lot of credit.
“When he’s on his game, he’s really good.”
NOTES: Johansson crashed into the boards awkwardly 57 seconds into the game and did not return. He will be re-evaluated Thursday, Hynes said. ... Canucks D Alexander Edler took part in the morning skate and is getting closer to a return after injuring his knee Oct. 12.
UP NEXT
Devils: At Edmonton on Friday night.
Canucks: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday.
___
More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks are probably glad they traded Cory Schneider to an Eastern Conference team.
Schneider made 37 saves for his first shutout this season and the 24th of his career as the New Jersey Devils defeated Vancouver 2-0 on Wednesday night.
Dealt to the Devils for the ninth pick in the 2013 NHL draft, which the Canucks used to select center Bo Horvat, the 31-year-old Schneider improved to 5-1-2 against his former team — including five straight wins — to go with a .940 save percentage.
“I’ve always loved playing in this city and this building,” Schneider said. “I’ve always felt really comfortable and at home here. It was fun.”
Jimmy Hayes scored and Drew Stafford added an empty-net goal for New Jersey (9-2-0), which surpassed the 1993-94 squad for the best start to a season in franchise history.
“It’s nice to see the guys get rewarded for a lot of hard work,” coach John Hynes said. “We (talked) in training camp about the way we wanted to play and the work ethic we wanted to have.”
The first-place Devils have won three straight and remain the only NHL team with a perfect road record (5-0-0).
Taylor Hall added two assists and has three goals and six assists in his last eight games against the Canucks.
“We’ve been scoring a lot of goals,” Schneider said. “But it felt like it was time to spin a game like this and get my teammates some help.”
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for Vancouver (6-4-2), which had 80 shot attempts to New Jersey’s 42. The Canucks have lost two in a row, including Monday’s 2-1 overtime setback against Dallas.
“They had 21 blocked shots,” Vancouver coach Travis Green said. “We might have cut our shots a little too fine, but you are either shooting to score or shooting to get a rebound.
“We had a lot of both.”
New Jersey snapped a scoreless tie at 10:09 of the second period after Canucks rookie Brock Boeser had his shot blocked in the offensive zone.
The Devils raced the other way, with Markstrom stopping Hall’s initial effort on a 2-on-1, but the puck bounced past Vancouver’s backcheckers right to Hayes, who fired in a one-timer for his third of the season.
“Bit of a knuckler,” Markstrom said. “I got a little eager to get out and get it. It kind of curved in. You want that back, especially in a game like this.”
The Canucks came close to grabbing the lead earlier in the period when Daniel Sedin’s redirection off a slap pass from twin brother Henrik from the high slot though a screen hit the base of the post and stayed out.
Schneider had to be really sharp on a four-save sequence with under three minutes to go in the period after the Devils went ahead, saving Alexander Burmistrov’s one-timer before also stopping two off the stick of Sam Gagner and another from Alex Biega.
“Cory was the difference tonight. He was fantastic,” Hynes said. “The result would not have happened if Cory didn’t play as well as he did.”
Wednesday marked the return to the New Jersey lineup of forward Brian Boyle, who announced on Sept. 19 he was battling myelogenous leukemia, a form of blood and bone marrow cancer. The 32-year-old takes medication when he wakes up and before he goes to bed, and had been practicing with the Devils since last week.
“The guys in here, the last six weeks, whether they know it or not ... it’s just been a tremendous boost of energy for me,” said Boyle, who finished with 15:19 of ice time in his first game since April 23. “I can’t thank them enough.”
Playing just 11 forwards after Marcus Johansson was injured less than a minute into the first period, Schneider and the Devils killed off two Canucks power plays in the third.
Vancouver kept coming, but Sven Baertschi shoveled wide of an open net off a feed from Horvat.
With Markstrom on the bench for an extra attacker, Schneider stoned Derek Pouliot with just more than a minute to play and then Daniel Sedin with 42 seconds left before Stafford scored his fourth into an empty net to seal it.
“We should have won this one,” Daniel Sedin said. “Give (Schneider) a lot of credit.
“When he’s on his game, he’s really good.”
NOTES: Johansson crashed into the boards awkwardly 57 seconds into the game and did not return. He will be re-evaluated Thursday, Hynes said. ... Canucks D Alexander Edler took part in the morning skate and is getting closer to a return after injuring his knee Oct. 12.
UP NEXT
Devils: At Edmonton on Friday night.
Canucks: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday.
___
More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
NHL Morning Skate – Nov. 1, 2017
Home Team in Caps
NY RANGERS 6, Vegas 4
DETROIT 5, Arizona 3
Winnipeg 2, MINNESOTA 1
FOUR-GOAL THIRD PERIOD POWERS RANGERS TO VICTORY
Trailing 4-2 entering the third period, the Rangers erupted for four goals in the final frame to rally form a multi-goal deficit and defeat the Golden Knights. Six different Rangers found the back of the net with the line of Mika Zibanejad (1-2—3, GWG), Pavel Buchnevich (1-1—2) and Chris Kreider (1-0—1) accounting for half of the offense and three of four third period goals.
* The Rangers won a game in which they trailed by at least two goals entering the third period for the first time since Jan. 7, 2017 (5-4 W vs. CBJ).
* Elias notes that the Rangers are the eighth team this season (180 GP) to stage a multi-goal, third period comeback victory and just the second to do so in regulation (also NSH: 6-5 W vs. PHI on Oct. 10).
* Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves to earn his 408th career win and pass Glenn Hall for sole possession of ninth place on the NHL’s all-time list.
The Jets (6-3-2, 14 points) and Red Wings (6-6-1, 13 points) both endured late pushes from the opposition to earn victories:
* Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves to improve to 6-0-1 this season (1.91 GAA, .940 SV%) and push the Jets’ point streak to five games (3-0-2).
* Red Wings forwards Dylan Larkin (1-1—2, GWG) and Darren Helm (1-1—2) posted multi-point efforts and goaltender Jimmy Howard made 30 saves to help the Red Wings post consecutive wins.
KELLER EXTENDS POINT STREAK, ROOKIE SCORING LEAD
Coyotes forward Clayton Keller tallied 1-1—2 to extend his point streak to seven games (6-5—11). Keller, who was selected seventh overall by the Coyotes in the 2016 NHL Draft, leads all rookies in goals (9) and points (15).
Golden Knights goaltender Maxime Lagace – who made his NHL debut in relief on Oct. 30 (6-3 L vs. NYI) – made 32 saves in his first career start. Lagace is the fourth goaltender to appear for Vegas this season (also Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk). Elias notes the Golden Knights are the tenth team in NHL history to use at least four different goaltenders in its inaugural season.
* The record for most goaltenders to make an appearance by one team in any single season is seven (three times):
Kings (2007-08): Dan Cloutier, Daniel Taylor, Erik Ersberg, Jason LaBarbera, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Jonathan Bernier and Jonathan Quick
Blues (2002-03): Brent Johnson, Chris Osgood, Cody Rudkowsky, Curtis Sanford, Fred Brathwaite, Reinhard Divis and Tom Barrasso
Nordiques (1989-90): Greg Millen, John Tanner, Mario Brunetta, Ron Tugnutt, Scott Gordon, Sergei Mylnikov and Stephane Fiset
* Goaltender Dylan Ferguson, who plays for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, was recalled on an emergency basis to back up Lagace. He is just the fourth goaltender with an NHL contract to be recalled from a Canadian Hockey League team under emergency conditions since 2001-02 (Olivier Michaud 2001-02 w/ MTL; Steve Mason: 2007-08 (twice) w/ CBJ; Jon-Paul Anderson: 2010-11 w/ SJS).
ANNUAL HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER INITIATIVE BEGINS TODAY
Hockey Fights Cancer, a joint initiative between the NHLPA and NHL as well as a program of the National Hockey League Foundation and NHL Foundation, begins today. The campaign, which unites the hockey community in support of cancer patients and their families, will feature ceremonies, observances, and fundraising efforts throughout the month of November. Visit HockeyFightsCancer.com for more information.
* All 31 NHL Member Clubs are designating one home game as the official Hockey Fights Cancer in-arena awareness night, with unique programming and partnerships with local cancer organizations.
The Devils, who are the only team without a road loss of any kind in 2017-18, aim to win each of their first five road games of a season for just the second time in club history when they visit the Canucks – New Jersey started with a 9-0-0 road record in 2009-10.
CROSBY, McDAVID FACE OFF FOR SECOND TIME IN EIGHT DAYS
The reigning Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner, Connor McDavid (5-6—11 in 10 GP), will face the reigning Maurice Richard and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Sidney Crosby (5-6—11 in 13 GP), for the second time in eight days when the Penguins visit the Oilers. McDavid tallied Edmonton’s lone goal in the first meeting between the clubs this season on Oct. 24, before Phil Kessel scored 42 seconds into overtime to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 victory.
Red Wings start fast, beat Coyotes 5-3
By BOB DUFF
Assocciated Press
DETROIT (AP) — As his team prepared to play the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill placed two salient points at the top of the game plan.
Start fast against the Coyotes, who were playing their second game in two nights. And, in their lone home game during an eight-game stretch, Blashill felt it vital that the Red Wings protect home ice.
Consider his order filled.
Detroit scored twice before the game was three minutes old and held on for a 5-3 victory over the Coyotes.
“We knew we had to jump pretty quick on them,” said right wing Anthony Mantha, who scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season. “Putting the puck deep was our key to start the game. I think it paid off.
“They had a better second period but I think we were all over them in the first. When we took the puck and we took control of it, they couldn’t do anything.”
Dylan Larkin had a goal and an assist for Detroit.
Knowing the Coyotes (1-11-1) had played the night before in Philadelphia, where they won in overtime for their first victory of the season, the Red Wings applied early pressure and fired the first eight shots on goal. Detroit was ahead 2-0 before Arizona forced Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard to make a save.
Nyquist opened the scoring, intercepting a clearing attempt by Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski and threaded a shot through traffic that beat goalie Scott Wedgewood at 1:31.
Detroit made it 2-0 at 2:37 when Luke Glendening snapped a high wrist shot past Wedgewood on the blocker side.
“I thought it was the best we had played, maybe all season, in terms of playing fast,” Blashill said. “We were fast in the neutral zone, our D went back for pucks, the forwards were available, we moved it up the ice, we attacked up the ice, we were fast in the O zone, we attacked the slot on quick-strike attack.
“It was really as good a period as we could have had. The only downside is we weren’t up by more.”
The Coyotes got on the board 11:36 into the second when Jason Demers took a feed from Clayton Keller and his point shot eluded a partially screened Howard.
But the Red Wings didn’t allow the Coyotes a chance to start feeling good. Mantha made it 3-1 at 13:03, chipping a pass from Andreas Athanasiou behind Wedgewood.
Detroit increased its advantage to 4-1 in the final minute of the second when Larkin’s backhand pass deflected off the stick of Coyotes defenseman Luke Schenn and over Wedgewood’s shoulder at 19:03.
“We put our toe in the water instead of diving in,” Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said of his team’s slow start. “We can’t afford to ease our way into a game. We have to play 60 good minutes, and we’re still not doing that.
“We played well in spurts tonight, but we made too many catastrophic mistakes that ended up in our net.”
Nick Cousins lifted a backhand past Howard at the two-minute mark of the third. Arizona pulled within a goal at 16:43 when Keller’s shot bounced past Howard.
Darren Helm scored into an empty Coyotes net at 18:34.
NOTES: After wearing No. 40 in his debut Monday for the Coyotes, Wedgewood opted to switch to No. 31. ... D Niklas Hjalmarsson was out for the Coyotes with a lower-body injury sustained Monday at Philadelphia. ... Detroit D Danny DeKeyser (sprained ankle) missed his 10th straight game.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, their first home game since Oct. 21.
Red Wings: Begin a four-game road trip through Canada on Thursday at Ottawa, where they won 2-1 in a shootout on Oct. 7.
Zibanejad helps Rangers rally past Golden Knights, 6-4
By VIN A. CHERWOO
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — After two lackluster periods, the New York Rangers turned up the intensity in the third and rallied for a needed win.
Mika Zibanejad got the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left and the Rangers scored four in the final period to beat the expansion Vegas Golden Knights 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Jimmy Vesey, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich and Michael Grabner also scored to help New York win for the third time in seven games (3-2-2). Zibanejad also had assists on the first two goals in the third.
“I think we responded great in the third and hopefully we can build off that,” Zibanejad said. “We’ve got to find a way to bring it early on and maintain it to be a little more consistent throughout the game. Hopefully it’s a step in the right direction.”
Reilly Smith scored twice, Oscar Lindberg got a goal against his former team and David Perron converted a penalty shot for Vegas, which has lost consecutive games after winning five straight. Maxime Lagace, the fourth goalie used by the Golden Knights this season, stopped 32 shots in his first NHL start.
Trailing by two, the Rangers received a power play after Perron was whistled for a double-minor early in the third, and Kreider pulled them to 4-3 as he took a pass from Zibanejad and beat Lagace from the left side for his third goal at 5:31.
“Until that penalty, we were in control of the game and playing well,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “The rest of the period we looked like an expansion team. ... We didn’t respond the right way and sat back instead of trying to attack like we did all game.”
Buchnevich tied it nearly four minutes later, taking a pass from Zibanejad on the left side and putting it into the open net with Lagace out of position. It gave Buchnevich a goal for the third straight game.
Grabner added an empty-netter with 1:14 left to seal it.
“I think our group proved tonight that there’s no quit,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “There are some pieces of our game that are real good, others are not Picassos. We’re trying to put it together. We’re trying to work hard. We’ll take the two points tonight and move on.”
Trailing 2-1, the Rangers came out aggressively to start the second period and tied the score at 1:29. Kevin Hayes’ shot from the left side behind the net went off Rick Nash’s skate to Zuccarello, who put it in for his third.
The Golden Knights went back ahead 3-2 at 7:06 as Smith scored on a backhand from the right side for his fourth of the season.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made a pair of sprawling saves on his back with about a minute left in the second, but Perron was hooked by Hayes and awarded a penalty shot. Perron deked and scored five-hole on Lundqvist for his fourth to put Vegas up by two.
“After the first and second, they scored late goals and a team like us in a position we’re in, it can really beat you down,” said Lundqvist, who made 30 saves. “The way the guys came out and competed in the third, it shows a lot about the group.”
Vesey put the Rangers up 1-0 just 2:45 into the game on their first shot on goal.
The Golden Knights tied it as Lindberg scored at 5:22, backhanding the rebound of a shot by Alex Tuch past a sprawled Lundqvist for his fifth.
Vegas took a 2-1 lead with 39 seconds left in the first when Colin Miller’s point shot was deflected in front by Jonathan Marchessault and put in by Smith.
NOTES: Rangers D Brady Skjei played in his 100th regular-season game. ... Zibanejad topped 200 career points and has at least one in four straight games (three goals, four assists). ... Lundqvist earned his 408th win, moving past Glenn Hall for sole possession of ninth place on the NHL’s career list. ... The Golden Knights, who have been active in trying to help the Las Vegas community heal from the mass shooting at the beginning of the month, were staying at a hotel in Battery Park in lower Manhattan near a terrorist attack earlier in the day. Just blocks away, a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan drove a rented truck onto a bike path, killing at least eight people and seriously injuring 11 others. The team was delayed a little in leaving the area for Madison Square Garden, but arrived about 75 minutes before the start. ... Vegas placed G Oscar Dansk on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. G Dylan Ferguson was recalled from Kamloops of the Western Hockey League on an emergency basis to serve as Lagace’s backup. Top goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion) has not been cleared to resume skating, and backup Malcolm Subban (lower-body injury) is also out.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: At Boston on Thursday night in the third of a six-game trip.
Rangers: At Tampa Bay on Thursday night to open a two-game trip to Florida.
Hellebuyck, Jets continue roll with 2-1 win against Wild
By BRIAN HALL
Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck found a new trainer to work with in the offseason to continue his development.
Hellebuyck’s work with the trainer, who also trains Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnky, is paying off for Winnipeg.
Hellebuyck made 28 saves, and Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor scored for the Jets in a 2-1 win over Minnesota on Tuesday.
“Not that I ever didn’t work hard, but I really figured out my game and was able to replicate it,” Hellebuyck said. “Now I know exactly what I’m doing every night.”
Ehlers scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season and Connor added his second for Winnipeg, which is 6-1-1 since an 0-2 start to the season.
Rookie Luke Kunin scored his second goal of the season and goaltender Alex Stalock stopped 17 shots for the Wild, who had won two in a row and three of their previous four games.
Minnesota was 0 for 5 on the power play.
“I think on the power play, it may sound difficult, and it may not go in, but you need five guys thinking as one,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “And I think right now, we’ve got five guys thinking as five guys. And so nobody can read what you’re supposed to be doing. And we do have, there’s a plan in place, and we’ve got to get the guys to just do the plan.”
Hellebuyck continued his strong run in net for the Jets, who had made the move to acquire Steve Mason as the starting netminder in the offseason. While Mason has a 4.84 goals-against average and .872 save percentage in his four games, Hellebuyck’s numbers rank among the league’s best.
He entered the game sixth in the NHL in save percentage (.937). Hellebuyck (6-0-1) is the only goaltender in the NHL who has made at least five starts and is undefeated in regulation.
“I think the big games bring out the best in him and he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Jets forward Blake Wheeler said. “We’re trying to do a good job in front of him, letting him see pucks, and he’s making some big saves so that keeps you in games.”
Hellebuyck stopped 11 shots in the third as Winnipeg was outshot 12-2 in the final period.
Connor opened the scoring 7:10 into the first. Mark Scheifele tipped defenseman Tyler Myers’ shot from the point and the puck fell right to Connor. The line of Connor, Scheifele and Blake Wheeler have accounted for five goals in the past two games.
Ehlers took advantage of a mistake by Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba in the third. Dumba tried a drop pass in the defensive zone to Mikael Granlund, but Ehlers was between them and quickly collected the loose puck, skated past Granlund and scored for a 2-0 lead.
“I was kind of looking to see what he was going to do,” Ehlers said. “I saw he looked back at Granlund and I was hoping he was going to drop that puck.”
Dumba was benched by Boudreau after the turnover.
“I know that was my fault tonight. I’ve just got to man up and own it and try to move on,” Dumba said. “It’s frustrating, and you know you let your teammates down like that on a play that I can routinely make. It’s like an interception, like a pick-6, like the guy runs it back to the house.”
NOTES: Minnesota F Nino Niederreiter returned to the lineup after missing six games with a left high ankle sprain. He assisted on Kunin’s goal for his point in four games this year. . Winnipeg F Adam Lowry (upper-body injury) practiced with the team during Tuesday’s morning skate and coach Paul Maurice left open the possibility he could return on Saturday against Montreal after missing seven games. . The Jets are 15 for 16 on the penalty kill in their last four games and 27 for 31 in past eight games after giving up four power-play goals in the first two games.
UP NEXT
Jets: Return home against Dallas on Thursday.
Wild: Two more games remain in their season-long, six-game homestand with Montreal on Thursday.
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