Coyotes stumble on the Strip

In Las Vegas, Reilly Smith scored twice in a 7-4 win for the Golden Knights over the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night.

Vegas scored four times in the first period for a 4-0 lead and extended that to 5-0 with an early goal in the middle frame.

“[The first period] won the game for us,” Smith said. “The first four, five shifts, we generated 10-15 shots and a couple goals, and I think that changed the game.”

Robin Lehner made 22 saves in the win.

Jonathan Marchessault got the offense rolling with a goal in the first period.

“We’ve not been clicking with [the power play],” Marchessault said. “We need to be a force. There’s no excuse for that group to not have a successful power play. It was a good first goal, and we can get confidence from that.”

William Carrier,  Keegan Kolesar and Smith pushed the advantage to 4-0 before the end of the first.

“You’re disappointed because you don’t walk out feeling how you should,” Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer said. “You should walk out feeling great about that game. That’s a good club over there. We should’ve known they were going to be pushing toward the end. We got away with it.”

Chandler Stephenson scored his first goal in 14 games to make it 5-0,

“I don’t know if we’re mentally tired,” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said. “You look for a push from certain guys. This team can’t have four or five guys not ready. We just looked timid out there. Some guys got to step up here. Leadership, get mad out there, go to the net, stop in front, do something. The moment is too big for some guys.”

Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz stopped the run to make it 5-1.

“We weren’t ready to play,” Schmaltz said. “They’re a great team, and that’s what’s going to happen. It’s definitely embarrassing.”

Dryden Hunt and Clayton Keller scored early in the third period to give the Coyotes a little life at 5-3.

Smith ended the Coyotes’ real chances with his second goal of the game to make it 6-3.

Michael Bunting tried to rekindle some hope with a strike to make it 6-4, but  Max Pacioretty added an  empty-net  goalAdin Hill got the start and yielded five goals while making 27 saves through 40 minutes of play.

Ivan Prosvetov mopped up in the third period with three saves.