TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Travis Boyd scored twice, Ivan Prosvetov stopped 29 shots and the Arizona Coyotes extended his points streak to six straight games with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night.
Prosvetov helped the Coyotes weather a series of early penalties in his second start this season and Boyd had his second game with multiple goals this month after going five seasons without one.
Lawson Crouse also scored to help extend Arizona’s home winning streak to five games in a row. The Coyotes are 5-0-2 since losing to Carolina on March 3.
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist, and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the second straight game. Thatcher Demko made 24 saves for the Canucks, which ended their five-game winning streak.
Prosvetov was snappy on short notice in his first start of the season, stopping 39 shots in a win over Nashville on March 9 after learning he was called up from Tucson, AHL just before noon.
The Russian rookie had little chance of stopping the puck when Coyotes defenseman Michael Kesserling made a bad pass into his own end midway through the first period. Kuzmenko, the NHL’s most accurate shooter at 27.3%, finished the passing tic-tac-toe of Pettersson and Anthony Beauvillier just outside the crease.
The Coyotes gathered momentum after a penalty-filled first period, including Zack Kassian’s misconduct, and tied Boyd’s wrist from the left circle with 30 seconds left.
Boyd scored on the power play in the second period, rounding Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers and slipping a shot through Demko’s pads.
The Canucks committed another penalty early in the third period and Crouse took advantage, firing a sharp-angled shot over Demko’s stick shoulder.
Vancouver increased the pressure afterwards and Pettersson beat Prosvetov from the left circle to make it 3-2. Prosvetov made some late saves after the Canucks pulled Demko for an extra forward to preserve the win.
REMARKS: Coyotes F Nick Schmaltz missed his third straight game with a lower body injury. Vancouver has signed F Aidan McDonough to a two-year entry-level contract. He spent the last four years at Northeastern and was drafted by the Canucks in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft. … Arizona recalled F Bokondji Imama from Tucson. … Arizona’s Clayton Keller got an assist on Boyd’s second goal to extend his scoring streak to seven games (6-7-12).
FOLLOWING
Vancouver: In Los Angeles Saturday night.
Arizona: hosts Chicago on Saturday night.
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