SAN JOSE – After an uneventful opening stanza, the visiting Arizona Coyotes posted three goals in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead over Sharks into the third period.
The third period was not much better for the Sharks, who surrendered two more goals in a 5-2 loss on Thursday night.
For the Coyotes, it was their fourth straight win.
“If you want to be a successful team, you need to be able to win on the road,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “We talked about that last year. We had a good start on the road, and then we faded down. So, we want to creep back and be a better team on the road, and I think that is a step in the right direction.”
Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves in the win.
The Coyotes improved to 17-13-2.
Clayton Keller and Alex Kerfoot were the drivers for the Coyotes, each potted a goal and picked up three points on the night.
After the scoreless first, the Coyotes grabbed a 1-0 lead on a marker from Michael Kesselring at 4:58 of the middle frame.
The Sharks responded with a goal by Anthony Duclair at 6:20 off a breakaway for a 1-1 tie.
Keller potted his goal at 8:30 to restore the lead to the Coyotes, 2-1.
Kerfoot struck for his goal at 12:56 for a 3-1 lead headed to the third period. when he deflected a shot by Durzi in front of the net.
“He’s a (Kerfoot) Swiss Army knife,” Tourigny said . “You can play him wherever you want. You can play him center, right wing, left wing, PK, power play, end of the game when you’re trailing in the game. When you need a goal, he’s that kind of a player. We are lucky to have him.”
The Sharks dropped to 9-21-3 off their fourth straight loss.
“As the game went on, we cheated for offense,” San Jose coach David Quinn said. “When you haven’t been scoring goals, I think that’s what happens, and that’s too bad because I thought we had a lot of energy. I thought our first period was good. We answered back when they made it 1-0.”
San Jose opened the third period with a quick strike from Filip Zadina with 29 seconds gone in the third to trim the deficit to 3-2.
“He’s an important player for us,” Duclair said of Zadina. “He brings energy and speed. He’s got some skill; he’s got the right tools. I think it’s good for him. It’s good for the team.”
The Coyotes blunted any rally when Nick Schmaltz scored at 7:45 off the power play for a 4-2 lead.
“There’s not much time 5-on-5 where you have the puck and you can make plays, so you’ve got to take advantage of those power plays,” Schmaltz said. “We’ve worked on that play a lot and scored a couple goals this year.”
Lawson Crouse scored at 12:50 for the 5-2 final count.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves in the loss.
“We’ve been through this before,” Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta said. “We’ve got to work and not hang our heads that much. There are a lot of areas where we can execute and be better, but we’ve got some good things. So, just stay positive and keep working.”
 
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