The Wrap: Power Play Shines Again as Coyotes Top Maple Leafs

STATS
That was a wild one.
Nick Ritchie and Shayne Gostisbehere scored power-play goals, Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves, and the Arizona Coyotes withstood a furious third-period rally to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
Alex Kerfoot appeared to tie the game late in the third, but the goal was disallowed following a lengthy review after it was deemed there was an uncalled handpass.
Christian Fischer also scored and Lawson Crouse added an empty netter for the Coyotes (1-2-0), who earned their first win of the season, and are 10-0-2 in their last 12 games in Toronto.

"We all know what the Toronto Maple Leafs are capable of," Fischer said. "We know what this season most likely is going to play out for them -- they're going to be a really good team, and a contender. So for us to come in, I'm really proud of the team. We worked our butt off."
William Nylander and Mitch Marner scored for the Maple Leafs, and goalie Erik Kallgren stopped 15 of the 18 shots he faced.

Though the Coyotes built a 2-0 lead with strong play in the first and second periods, the drama unfolded as the clock began to wind down in the final frame.
It took just 24 seconds for Nylander and Marner to erase a two-goal deficit, and the Maple Leafs seemingly had all the momentum until forward Calle Jarnkrok was called for interference in the offensive zone with just 2:05 left to play.
The Coyotes' red-hot power play needed just 32 seconds to take advantage.
Gostisbehere scored the game-winner with just 1:33 left, blasting a shot past Kallgren following a nice feed from Clayton Keller. The 29-year-old defenseman has two goals and three assists in three games this season.

"I knew Kells was going to pass it to me, it was just a matter of when," Gostisbehere said. "He froze the goalie enough for me to slide it in."
Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said he was proud of the mettle Arizona showed when the Maple Leafs started to ratchet up the intensity.
"When you're under pressure like that and you lose the momentum, it can be tough mentally, and our guys were resilient," Tourigny said. "I'm really happy about the way it happened on the bench as well. We had leadership, we had guys stand up and talk, so that was good."
Ritchie opened the scoring late in the first period with his third goal of the year, all of which have come on the power play. Arizona's special teams have shined early on this season, as the team has recorded at least one goal with the man advantage in each game this season. The Coyotes were 2-for-5 on Monday, and killed off four of Toronto's five opportunities.

The 26-year-old Ritchie has had quite a turnaround since his arrival in Arizona via trade last February. Consider this: He had just two goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Maple Leafs last season, but in 27 games with the Coyotes, he's notched 13 goals and four assists.
Fischer's first goal of the season put the Coyotes up 2-0 at 8:30 of the second period after he beat Kallgren with a look right in front of the net. He was set up by Nick Bjugstad, who earned his second assist of the season after battling hard behind the net to maintain possession of the puck and eventually find Fischer in front.
That work ethic was evident up and down the lineup on Monday, and also showed on the scoresheet. The Coyotes finished the night with 18 blocked shots and 23 hits.
"I think that shows the commitment that the guys wanted to win," Tourigny said. "All game long we blocked shots, we closed the slot, we battled hard. They're a really good team but we made it tough on them."
The Coyotes play next in Montreal on Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 pm MST, and will be available on Bally Sports Arizona (TV) and ESPN 620 AM (Radio).