The three-game sweep starts with featuring the Arizona Coyotes who rallied from an 0-2 deficit to stun the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2, in regulation.
Louis Domingue started his first NHL game in goal for the Coyotes and made 18 saves to get the win.
“With the situation our team’s in, you know there’s lots of trade rumors surrounding our team and stuff, but all we have to do is make sure we play hard,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “And if we get good goaltending, we have a chance to win.”
Domingue’s debut was Saturday night when he relieved Mike Smith in a brutal 7-2 loss to the Senators.
“He’s a confident player,” Tippett said. “I like his attitude. There was not one bit of doubt in our team’s mind that he was going to play well.”
Lauri Korpikoski scored twice on the power play for Arizona including the game-winner early the third.
“The first five minutes was pretty hard,” Domingue said. “It was a lot of emotion to take in. It was certainly a battle and to be able to sit after the first period and regroup myself when I went out there in the second period I was comfortable, it was just like I was playing a game in the American Hockey League, so just being able to sit and relax was big for me.”
After the quick start, the Habs may have thought the Coyotes would be an easy “W”.
“It’s frustrating,” Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty said. “Obviously we didn’t give it our best and they got a couple of bounces I think that was the back breaker. It was a little bit too late for us to try and come back, you know, their goalie made some big saves, but at the end of the day I don’t think we gave it our best.”
In Pittsburgh, Nashville Predators’ goalie Carter Hutton made 21 saves in a 4-0 win over the Penguins.
“I think early, getting a couple of goals is nice, especially coming off of a game where you got shut out,” Hutton said. “I think that kind of just settled us into play and from there, we played really well. … I think we just did a great job of keeping guys to the outside. Most of the shots came from the outside and, knowing [Penguins forward Patric] Hornqvist, he’s so good in front and we didn’t let him get too many second chances at pucks.”
With Pekka Rinne still sidelines with an injury, the Preds have barely missed a beat and Hutton has been solid in relief.
Roman Josi, Gabriel Bourque, Eric Nystrom and Mike Fisher scored for Nashville building a 2-0 lead just over six minutes into the game.
The Pens’ Simon Despres figured in the first two goals, once on a screen and once on a turnover.
“[Despres] made a play to the middle of the ice when he shouldn’t have,” Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. “He should’ve kept the play moving. He was on the right side as the left defenseman. He wasn’t looking up-ice and getting the whole view of the place. He made a quick play to try to get it to the center and you just can’t make those plays inside like that, unless you’re totally sure.
“You have to fake to the boards and then make it inside. So, that wasn’t a good choice.”
In Vancouver, another goalie made an impact on his game as Devan Dubnyk continued his solid play since the joining the Minnesota Wild.
“It got a little hairier then we expected,” Dubnyk said. “Obviously with a 3-0 lead, I would like to stop that first one that kind of gives them a little momentum but it didn’t end up mattering in the end.”
After a scoreless first period, Zach Parise and Jared Spurgeon put the Wild up 2-0 in the second.
There was a Thomas Vanek sighting in the third when he picked up his 10th of the season, game-winner.
“We knew after the (All-Star) break with these three games that if we lose them it’s going to be almost impossible,” Vanek said. “Now by beating those teams ahead of us it gives us a chance.”
The Wild have won three straight.
“Confidence is one thing and a lot of credit has to go to (Dubnyk),” Wild coach Mike Yeo said when asked what had changed in the past two weeks. “Again it’s the type of game they come out, get two or three chances and he allows us to settle into the game and grab that first goal.”
Dubnyk finished with 35 saves for the win.
A shot from Alexander Edler in the third got through for an apparent goal but eventually waived off for goalie interference on Dubnyk.
“It’s a great call, I’m glad they talked about it,” Dubnyk said. “It’s not an easy call to make because he moves as the shot is taken but Edler is a left-handed shot and he is on the wall and Vrbata is in the crease and I can’t get in my crease to where I need to be to make that save. He moves so it doesn’t look like he interfered with me as the puck goes in but I couldn’t make the save because I couldn’t get to where I needed to be to make the save in the first place.”
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