In Tempe, the Nashville Predators were perhaps looking past the Coyotes on Thursday night, and it cost them in an 8-4 loss.
The decision snapped an 18-game point streak. It was their first loss since mid February.
The Coyotes hit for four goals in the middle frame to wrest control of the game.
The Coyotes’ Logan Cooley hit for his first career NHL hat trick in the win.
“It’s always fun playing against the best guys in the League, the best teams. I think it brings out the best in us,” Cooley said. “For me, personally, I like playing against the really good guys. You get up for those games a little more, and that one was a fun one.”
Connor Ingram made 33 saves in the win.
Coyotes moved to 31-37-5 off their fifth win in seven matches.
The two teams exchanged goals in the opening stanza for a 2-2 tie after 20 minutes.
Jason Zucker hit for a double to give the Preds a 2-0 lead. His first was scored at 2:22, scoring off a shot from the slot.
Zucker collected his double at 5:11 for the 2-0 advantage.
“We knew they were on a streak and playing really good hockey, and we took a deep breath and relaxed and found our game and kind of took off after that,” Cooley said.
Arizona replied with a pair of strikes of their own, Jack McBain trimmed the deficit to 2-1 at 8:00.
“It probably came a little easy for us [early],” Nashville’s Roman Josi said. “I thought we played well in the beginning, but we kind of got away from that a little bit and then just kind of gave them too much. They’re a skilled team and they made us pay for a couple of mistakes.”
Cooley potted his first of the game at 17:00 for the 2-2 tie.
“We started to play our A game in the second,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “[The Keller-Nick Bjugstad-Nick Schmaltz line] were playing against their top line and that goes under the radar a little bit. (Ryan) O’Reilly and (Filip) Forsberg and (Gustav) Nyquist are an elite line in the League.”
The Predators dropped to 43-26-4.
“There’s going to be a night like this,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “Every team in the NHL is a good team and every night is hard. I thought we did enough good things to win the game, we just made some mistakes that really cost us and couldn’t overcome.”
The Coyotes jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the middle frame.
Clayton Keller pushed the Coyotes into a 3-2 lead at 7:11, scoring off an odd man rush with Alex Kerfoot.
Cooley collected his double one minute later to stretch the lead to 4-2.
“That was the pace I’ve got to play with, and I’m getting better at it,” Keller said. “That was a high-intensity game, everybody was into it.”
Gustav Nyquist hit off the power-play 11:08 to get the Preds back within one at 4-3..
Nick Bjugstad responded for the Coyotes at 12:36 to make it 5-3 in favor of Arizona.
Nick Schmaltz h then added to the lead for a 6-3 advantage headed to the third period.
The third period was an exercise in getting through the game and moving on to the next match.
“We knew they were on a streak and playing really good hockey, and we took a deep breath and relaxed and found our game and kind of took off after that,” Cooley said.
Arizona’s Matias Maccelli hit an empty net at 13:57 for a 7-3 count..
Filip Forsberg scored a so what goal off the power play for a 7-4 score at 16:40.
Cooley collected his hats at 18:28 for the 8-4 final.
“That was a special moment,” Cooley said.
Juuse Saros got the start and surrendered six goals, making 21 saves before getting the hook in the second intermission.
Kevin Lankinen made 11 saves in a mop up role.
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