In Glendale, Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves as the Coyotes defeated the visiting Calgary Flames, 3-0.
“You frustrate teams when you get in people’s faces and you have quick sticks and you’re on top of people,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “That’s the way we have to play. That was a nice win for us.”
Lawson Crouse and Carl Soderberg scored for the Coyotes.
“That 2-0 lead made it a tough climb,” Calgary coach Bill Peters said. “We had some good looks, but we just couldn’t find the net.”
Derek Stepan scored after a clearing attempt hit in the chest and dropped to the ice for an easy tap in.
“I’ve had a tough time evaluating my game because of the lack of production, and you fight with things in your own head,” Stepan said. “So you score a goal that’s kind of a gift. It’s just crazy how the game works.”
The Flames dropped to 10-9-3.
“Other than [part of the second period] it was a tight game, and it’s been that way for however many games,” Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “That’s kind of a [Stanley Cup] Playoff style; they’re tight games, and you’re not going to get a ton of chances each way.”
[WATCH: All Flames vs. Coyotes highlights]
David Rittich made 22 saves in the loss.
“This game is on me, and I apologized for it,” Rittich said. “I have to figure out what I did, and it can’t happen the next time. This game is about mistakes, and I did about the worst one you can do.”
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