ARIZONA COYOTES

‘Yotes Notes: Team effort pushes Coyotes to win over Lightning

Nov 17, 2013, 4:24 AM

The Phoenix Coyotes jumped out to an early lead over the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and never looked back as they hung on for a 6-3 win at Jobing.com Arena.

Defenseman Michael Stone found the back of the net on the power play and, just 58 seconds later, center Martin Hanzal bounced one in off of Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop.

The Lightning were able to counter slightly, but the Coyotes didn’t let them back in to the game. Tampa Bay scored late to make the game 5-3, but an empty-net goal from Lauri Korpikoski iced the game for Phoenix. The Coyotes are still undefeated in regulation at Jobing.com Arena this season.

In all, six Coyotes found the back of the net.

The game also featured two milestones as both Connor Murphy (Phoenix) and J.T. Brown (Tampa Bay) scored their first career NHL goals.

The Good

After gaining an early lead, the Coyotes didn’t take their foot off the gas. Phoenix has allowed several teams to come back and force overtime, but that wasn’t happening Saturday. They kept up with the forecheck and continually caused problems for the Lightning.

The Coyotes wanted to cut down on the amount of shots that made it to goalie Mike Smith after the absolute shelling he took in both St. Louis and Chicago. Mission accomplished. Smith saw a much more manageable 30 shots. Eleven blocked shots certainly helped as well.

The Bad

The Coyotes lost defenseman David Schlemko to an injury during the second period. He did not return to the game. Head coach Dave Tippett said he “re-aggravated a lower-body injury.” If he misses more time, the Coyotes would be without Derek Morris, Zbynek Michaelk and Schlemko on the blue line because of injury.

Noted

• Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy scored his first career NHL goal in his first NHL game in the second period. Lightning forward J.T. Brown countered whi his first NHL goal just seconds later.

• Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone has scored a career-high six goals this season. His previous record of five was set last season.

• Three different Coyotes posted their sixth goal of the season on Saturday: Stone, center Mike Ribeiro and center Martin Hanzal.

• The Coyotes were without defenseman Derek Morris (injured reserve) yet again as well as defensemen Zbynek Michaelk (injured) and Rostislav Klesla (healthy scratch). As a result, Phoenix used a lot of young players. The average age of the Coyotes blueline was 23.5 years.

He Said It

“That’s a big two points. You look at [the Lightning], they’re 7-0 against the West. The one point somebody made in the room before was they’ve taken points away from teams in the West. If we get these points, it’s two more that other teams didn’t get.” – Head coach Dave Tippett said of stopping Tampa Bay, the top team in the Eastern Conference.

Up Next

The Coyotes will enjoy a long break until their next game. They host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, Nov. 21. The puck drops at 7 p.m. at Jobing.com Arena.

Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes F Logan Cooley...

Associated Press

Logan Cooley nabs 1st career hat trick as Coyotes end Predators’ points streak

Logan Cooley had his first NHL hat trick and the Arizona Coyotes snapped the Nashville Predators’ point streak.

10 hours ago

Matias Maccelli #63 of the Arizona Coyotes skates with the puck during an NHL game at Mullett Arena...

Associated Press

Josh Doan nets twice in NHL debut, Coyotes score 4 goals in 3rd and beat Blue Jackets

Josh Doan had two goals including the go-ahead score in his first NHL game and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2.

2 days ago

ASU hockey player Josh Doan and father Shane Doan wave to fans before the ceremonial first puck to ...

David Veenstra

Arizona Coyotes forward Josh Doan scores twice in NHL debut

Coyotes forward Josh Doan scored twice in his NHL debut on Tuesday. Doan had goals in the second and third period against Columbus. 

2 days ago

Josh Doan...

Damon Allred

Arizona Coyotes recall forward Josh Doan from Tucson Roadrunners

The Arizona Coyotes recalled former second-round pick Josh Doan, son of former captain Shane Doan, from the Tucson Roadrunners.

4 days ago

Miro Heiskanen #4 of the Dallas Stars skates with the puck while being defended by Alex Kerfoot #15...

Associated Press

Arizona Coyotes fall to Dallas Stars for 2nd time in last 3 games

Miro Heiskanen broke a tie with 5:28 left and the Stars won their fourth consecutive game, beating the Coyotes on Sunday night.

5 days ago

Dylan Guenther...

Associated Press

Coyotes’ Dylan Guenther scores overtime game-winner vs. Kraken

Dylan Guenther scored in overtime to give the Arizona Coyotes a win over Seattle on Friday night.

6 days ago

‘Yotes Notes: Team effort pushes Coyotes to win over Lightning