Coyotes extend points streak to 6 after OT win against Flames

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Northeast Valley News

Arizona Coyotes vs. Calgary Flames

James Mackey, Reporter

The Arizona Coyotes beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in OT on Tuesday night.

The Coyotes entered the game with a 75.4 penalty kill percentage and were tested early when Lawson Crouse sat two minutes for crosschecking—just over one minute into the game.

Clayton Keller, on the verge of his first 30 goal season in his career got the Coyotes started in the shot column with 15 minutes to play in the first period.

Keller said that his 30 points since the All-Star Break was the most focused he’s been in his career.

“I think I’ve learned when things start to go good, not to go crazy and do things I don’t normally do. I think just sticking with what’s working, and when I do that, I’m successful, and I just want to continue to do that,” Keller said after the game.

Eight shots into the night for Conor Ingram, the Flames net one past the Coyotes starter, a goal originally credited to Sean Mangiapane, with assists to Mikael Backlund, and Rasmus Andersson, but was later corrected to be Backlund’s 16th goal on the season, and Andersson got the lone assist, 1-0 Flames.

The Coyotes issued a rebuttal less than one minute later, as Keller nabbed the illustrious 30th goal of the season, hot off his NHL First Star of the week honors, with a connection from linemate Barrett Hayton, and defensive starter Juuso Valimaki, 1-1.

The remaining 12 minutes of hockey were uneventful, and the period closed 1-1.

Matias Maccelli, the youngest forward on the Coyotes roster, got his sixth goal on the season, 55 seconds into period No. 2, with Jack McBain extending his point streak to four games with the primary assist, and Crouse notched the secondary, 2-1 Coyotes.

“It’s been great,” to work with McBain and Crouse, adding they’re “really good players, so they made obviously nice plays there, and I had the easy part to just put the puck in,”Maccelli said.

With 2:03 into the period Walker Duehr had tied the game at 2, with his fourth goal of the year, where Milan Lucic got his 581st career point on the primary assist, and Noah Hanifin landed the secondary, 2-2.

The remainder of the period held sparse action either way aside from good zone control for the Flames, and flashes of Ingram’s leather to keep the game tied.

Keller landed his 31st goal of the season, adding his name to the illustrious list of Winnipeg Jets and Coyotes with 30+ goals in a season, that include Dale Hawerchuk, Eddie Olcyzk, Teemu Selanne, and Keith Tkachuk among others of record.

Keller and Hayton connected again, this time on the penalty kill for the Coyotes, as Valimaki got caught high sticking :24 into the final regulation period, 3-2 Coyotes.

Nikita Zadorov added his name to the penalty list, as he also got called for high sticking, 3:17 into the period, and the Coyotes power play unit, sitting at a 19.2% on the year, went to work.

The Flames were able to kill off the penalty, cementing both teams with a 100% PK for the game.

Jonathan Huberdeau got his 45th point on the year, with just over five minutes to play, adding Troy Stecher’s assist, his first against his old team, and Dillon Dube getting added with the secondary assist, 3-3.

The remaining time drained off, with Ingram making more game saving stops in the waning seconds of regulation, adding to his 42 save appearance, in his sixth win of the year.

Coyotes Head Coach, Andre Tourigny, sent Keller, Hayton and Valimaki to start on the ice for the Coyotes.

Valimaki notched an assist on Travis Boyd’s game sealing goal 3:10 into the overtime period, with another point for Matias Maccelli, his 43rd career point, 4-3 final.

Tourigny said after the game, the “boys are playing hard right now. They play with desperation; they play for each other.”

“You can enjoy the fact you have excuses, or you can show character, and double down, and that’s what our guys are doing,” Tourigny said after noting the losses of key players in the everyday lineup.

Only four teams have more home wins than the Coyotes, and the Coyotes have nine more games at Mullett Arena, including Thursday with the Vancouver Canucks, and Saturday with division foe, Chicago Blackhawks.