In Vancouver Wednesday night, Derek Stepan scored the game-winning goal for the Arizona Coyotes with 59 seconds left in regulation to give the Yotes a 2-1 win.
“I have been talking with my wingers a lot about helping on draws, and [Keller] was able to help on the face-off, gets the puck on his stick, and it’s a pretty elite play he makes,” Stepan said. “I am able to find my spot and find the back of the net.”
Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves to pick up the win.
“That’s one of the best games I’ve seen any team play this year,” Kuemper said. “We had the puck for almost the entire game down in their zone, and I was just hoping my feet wouldn’t go to sleep.”
The Coyotes moved to 21-34-11 and are 9-2-2 in their 13.
“Our group did a good job of sticking with it,” Stepan said. “We did a lot of good things to not get stubborn with our play, make sure we defended when we needed to and get pucks in deep, and we get rewarded.”
Clayton Keller also scored for the Coyotes.
“We had a lot of guys who weren’t very good tonight, and we’re not a good enough team to have that,” Canucks head coach Travis Green said. “It had nothing at all to do with Brock being out. These guys are not sitting there hanging their head because Brock is out. They feel bad because a player is hurt, but that’s just not the way it works in the locker room.”
Jussi Jokinen scored the lone goal for Vancouver who dropped to 25-33-9.
“It’s really important, I’m playing for my job next year,” Jokinen said. “It’s been a frustrating season.”
It was his first goal since late November.
[WATCH: All Coyotes vs. Canucks highlights]
Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves in the loss.
“We were so bad with the puck tonight. We put passes in feet, passes behind one another, and when we did get a pass, we didn’t do anything with it,” Green said with frustration after the game.
There are quite a few jobs on the line as the Canucks’ season winds down. Vancouver has historically avoided major changes but the way New York Rangers handled their decision to wipe the slate clean and rebuild now is a lesson for teams like the Canucks.
But what do you do with aging talent?
The Coyotes are playing solid hockey since the new year turned. They are 9-2-2 in the last 13 and are no longer being pushed around. Their rebuild has been more subtle with younger talent meshing with veterans. For them, the unfortunate part is waiting until next year.
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