The Wrap: Keller's Hat Trick Sparks Coyotes' Win Over Golden Knights

STATS
It was a magical desert night at The Mullet.
Clayton Keller recorded his second hat trick of the season, Dylan Guenther added a goal of his own, and Karel Vejmelka made 35 saves as the Arizona Coyotes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 at Mullett Arena on Sunday.
The Coyotes, who debuted their 'Desert Night' third jerseys during the game, were on the attack from the very start, notching early goals in both the first and second periods en route to the win.

It was a stark contrast to Saturday's 4-0 loss in Dallas, where the Stars used three first-period goals to take control of the game.
"I think that was a lesson learned from our guys," head coach André Tourigny said. "You saw the way we started the game today. It was as expected, to be honest. It was not more, that's the way you should start.
"That's the way it should be."

Former Coyotes forward Phil Kessel scored for Vegas, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Goalie Logan Thompson, who was in net for the second consecutive night, stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced in the game.
Keller stole the show, though, as the 24-year-old forward used timely scoring and strong defense to help put the Golden Knights away. His first tally, which he recorded as the Coyotes already had a 1-0 lead, came just 1:39 into the second period.
He then scored twice more in the third -- including an empty-netter with just over four minutes remaining -- to ice the game.

"Now he's playing like Kells," Tourigny said. "I'm not talking about his three goals. It's more than that. It's his competitiveness, defensively in battles -- he's trending back where he was at his best last year.
"I think he plays with an edge and a passion right now, which is contagious."
Sunday marked the three-time All-Star's second-career hat trick, both of which have come this season. He had just one point over his last seven games, but his offensive explosion against the Golden Knights vaulted him into the team lead with 18 goals and 23 assists in 47 games this season.

"Long season, you're going to go through tough times," Keller said. "Sometimes you don't get the bounces that you deserve, and that's something that I've learned playing in this league. Just not getting frustrated and sticking with it; It was nice to see some go in tonight."
Vejmelka did his part to keep Vegas at bay throughout the night, allowing just one goal on 36 shots. Kessel's power-play goal at 9:03 of the second period pulled the Golden Knights to within one, but the 26-year-old netminder shut the door the rest of the way.
Vejmelka, who donned a sparkling new set of pads to go along with the Coyotes' new threads, is 7-4-2 at Mullett Arena this season.
"I think we played really good defensively," Vejmelka said. "I saw a lot of pucks, and we blocked a lot of shots as well. My teammates played a really good game for sure, and we just need to keep going."
Guenther helped set the tone from the outset, scoring just two minutes into the game. The 19-year-old rookie one-timed a feed from the left circle past Thompson, giving the Coyotes an early lead.

Arizona fed off the momentum from there and went toe-to-toe with the first place Golden Knights for the entire game.
"It was nice to have a good start there" Keller said. "That kind of helped us stay in the game. It was nice to see some goals go in, too."
The Coyotes are back in action at home on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports Arizona Extra (TV) and ESPN 620 AM (Radio). Puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm MST.