Coyotes slip by Kraken, 2-1, in OT Guenther hits for winner in OT

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In Tempe, Clayton Keller scored with 68 seconds left on the game clock to get the Coyotes even with the visiting Seattle Kraken, 1-1, forcing extra time.

The Coyotes completed the rally with a breakaway strike by Dylan Guenther with 48 seconds left in the extra session for a 2-1 win.

Logan Cooley set up the winner with a nifty leading pass for the winner.

“We sit together (in the locker room), on the team plane, we spend a lot of time together,” Guenther said of Cooley. “When you’re friends with someone off the ice, it helps your on-ice chemistry. And our skill sets complement each other well.”

Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves in the win.

“It was a different game than usual, we waited for a goal for a long time,” Vejmelka said. “They got the first goal … but we had a great comeback. We blocked so many shots, it was almost like a playoff game.”

The Coyotes moved to 29-36-5 off their third win in four games.

“It’s a good confidence booster because we came back from behind,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “It’s good because we won in overtime. It’s good because it was a tight game and we found a way to win. We were resilient and never panicked on the bench. Just the way we won that game, it’s a good feeling.”

The Kraken dropped to 28-28-13.

“Bottom line, we were in a position, an excellent position, to win this hockey game and no question we worked hard to put ourselves in that position,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “That’s a game we should have been able to close out.”

After a scoreless opening 40 minutes,  Ryker Evans scored to give the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 7:40 of the third. It was his first career NHL goal.

“A lot of people would love to play the final 15 games of a season in the NHL,” Guenther said. “Everybody in this room is playing for something, and we can carry this momentum into next season.”

Joey Daccord made 24 saves in the loss.

“Obviously, it took a little bit, but it’s good to get the first one out of the way,” Evans said. “‘Canner’ made a great pass across and the goalie was way out of the crease, so I had a wide-open net.”