The three-game sweep of the NHL from Thursday night starts in Glendale where the Arizona Coyotes continue their remarkable improvement over last season.
Shane Doan and Stefan Elliott scored in the second period to break open a tight game with the Edmonton Oilers and send the Coyotes to a 4-1 win.
“It’s a lot better than being at the bottom and having to chase it, but we recognize it’s very early,” Doan said. “Talk to me when we have 15 or 16 games to go and hopefully we’re in the hunt.”
Max Domi (eighth) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored for Arizona.
Mike Smith made 27 saves for the win.
“The way we are winning shows that we are determined,” Smith said. “It hasn’t been easy for us to come back in games the last few years, but it’s nice to see we can do it and believe we can do it. It’s shows a lot about the group.”
The oilers only goal came from Taylor Hall.
“I think we didn’t create enough to beat them tonight,” Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said. “We knew they wouldn’t give us much. But when you know that is when you really have to pull together and create as much as possible.”
In New York, Mats Zuccarello picked up the first star of the game as he scored once and assisted twice in the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the St Louis Blues.
“It’s big for us to beat this team,” Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “We talked about it [Thursday] morning, to go in here and find a way. We did.”
Derick Brassard, J.T. Miller, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, and Kevin Hayes also scored for the Rangers.
“I thought when it was 4-3, we were going to win for sure,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “I thought with the way we were playing, we were really dominating the offensive zone, we were going to win for sure.”
The Rangers built a 3-0 lead in the first and then sat back and watched the Blues rally to a 4-3 deficit in the second.
“In the third, I felt we controlled the game a lot better and that’s how we have to play against such a good team,” Lundqvist said. “This was a good test. I felt even though we were up, the game could have gone either way the way it was played. I’m happy that we corrected our game and challenged ourselves going into the third, and we played a really smart third period.”
The third period decided the game as the Rangers took control and added breathing room to their lead.
“It’s doing the right thing to be conditioned for the third period, bearing down and making plays,” defenseman Dan Girardi said. “In the first and second periods, I feel we just kind of play, and the third period comes and we start making those smart plays. We need to do that for three periods and we’re not going to have to spend more time in our end and battle through the chances against.”
In Ottawa, Andrew Hammond made 33 saves to drive the Senators to a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night.
“It was a game where I didn’t really feel like I had my best,” Hammond said. “When you’re at that point, you’ve got to find different ways to get something out of it.
“I just felt like I was fighting the puck most of the night. When you feel that way, it’s extra important to make that first save. I thought where I put the puck after making that first save wasn’t the best position most of the night. I don’t think that’s something by any means is part of my game. You’re not going to have your best every night, and that’s just the way it felt tonight.”
Bobby Ryan, Erik Karlsson and Chris Wideman scored for the Senators and Sven Baertschi and Alexander Edler had goals for the Canucks.
“We have enough zone time and enough puck to score more, but this year we keep losing these one-goal games,” Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said. “I think it’s mostly special teams. That’s where it needs to be better. (Penalty-killing) has done a great job, and the power play needs to step up.
“We know we have to be better. I still feel that right now we have the group that can score. We’re setting up, we’re winning faceoffs, it’s just that last play where we can’t put the puck in the net.”
Ryan Miller made 22 saves in the loss.
“I think guys are trying maybe a little too hard,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said about the penalty kill. “We’re trying so hard to get the kill, maybe we’re overplaying a little bit. All the teams got a pretty good power play and our penalty-killing’s been great for us. It hasn’t been as good this trip, but it’s been great all year.”
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