Coyotes Fall to Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday

STATS

CHICAGO -- Clayton Keller scored twice, Dylan Guenther and Nick Schmaltz added goals, and Connor Ingram made 34 saves, but the Arizona Coyotes fell to the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday.

Schmaltz finished with three points, while Keller and Barrett Hayton each notched two apiece.

Colin Blackwell recorded a hat trick, Connor Bedard scored twice, and Tyler Johnson and Ryan Donato both added goals for Chicago, which won for just the second time in its last 10 games. Arvid Söderblom made 32 saves to earn his fourth win of the season.

"I think our execution was off," head coach André Tourigny said. "We played solid in the first, but I don’t think we played as hard in the second. We were outside of our structure in every aspect defensively."

Arizona finished 1-2-0 against Chicago this season.

Keller opened the scoring during 4-on-4 play at 6:09 of the first period, wristing a shot from above the circles past Söderblom to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.

He gave Arizona a two-goal lead early in the second, taking a pass from Nick Schmaltz right off the opening faceoff before beating Söderblom on a breakaway just 11 seconds into the frame.

Bedard cut the lead in half at 5:28 of the second, banking a shot off the defenseman from behind the net, which ultimately found its way behind Ingram. Blackwell tied it up 90 seconds later, corralling a rebound in front of Ingram and tucking it into an open net.

"When you give them too many opportunities, they make plays," Tourigny said. "They have talented players. It’s the NHL, every time has talented players. If you give them too many opportunities they will capitalize."

Bedard gave the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead midway through the second, beating Ingram with a wrister from the slot during a 5-on-3 power play before Guenther tied it up at 13:57, firing home a rebound from the end boards to even the score.

Johnson restored Chicago’s lead with a power-play goal at 17:50, one-timing a shot from the left circle past Ingram before Blackwell notched his second of the game just 33 seconds into the third period.

Chicago finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Arizona was 0-for-2.

"It seems like it’s a common theme every night we lose," Schmaltz said. "It’s puck management stuff and staying out of the penalty box."

Schmaltz brought the Coyotes back to within one at 6:51 of the third, but Donato restored the Blackhawks' two-goal lead just 1:10 later after a soft wrister redirected up and over Ingram. Blackwell completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal at 17:24 to ice the game.

"We were loose with the puck, myself included," Schmaltz said. "I thought I made some bad plays, and I think as a group we thought it was going to be easy, we thought we could just kind of make plays whenever we wanted.

"They’re a hard working team, and they’re going to force you to make it, and if you don’t make it they are going to capitalize on their opportunities."

The Coyotes are back in action on Tuesday against the Wild in the second game of their three-game road trip. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 pm MST and the game will be broadcast on Arizona 61 (TV) and ESPN 620 (Radio).