Coyotes Top Blues 4-1 to Win Fourth Straight Game

STATS

Heading into Saturday's game against the St. Louis Blues, the Arizona Coyotes were determined to make a statement while facing the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions.

That statement started just 40 seconds into the game.

Michael Carcone scored in the first minute, Nick Schmaltz, Matias Maccelli, and Alex Kerfoot each added goals, and Connor Ingram made 31 saves as the Arizona Coyotes used a three-goal first period to beat the Blues 4-1 at Mullett Arena on Saturday. Kerfoot finished with three points (1G, 2A), while Ingram won his fourth consecutive start to improve to 10-3-0 with a .925 save percentage this season.

The win marked the Coyotes' fourth straight, each of which have come against the last four Stanley Cup champions: The Vegas Golden Knights (2023), Colorado Avalanche (2022), Tampa Bay Lightning (2021, 2020), and Blues (2019).

Arizona (12-9-2) became the first team to accomplish that feat since 1944, when there were only six teams in the league.

"We wanted to show the league that we can compete with anybody," defenseman Michael Kesselring said. "I think we did a good job with that."

Brandon Saad scored and Joel Hofer made 18 saves for the Blues (12-10-1), who have dropped two of their last three games. Arizona and St. Louis split the season series, 2-2.

Arizona's offense clicked from the very beginning.

Carcone opened the scoring just 40 seconds into the game, taking a pass from Alex Kerfoot in the right circle before beating Hofer on his blocker side. It was his team-leading 11th goal of the season, and the 27-year-old forward has scored in three straight games.

Schmaltz made it 2-0 at 15:49 of the opening frame with a power-play goal, taking a no-look between-the-legs pass from Kerfoot before wristing it over Hofer, and Maccelli gave the Coyotes a three-goal lead with just 38 seconds left in the period, one-timing a pass from the right faceoff circle over Hofer’s glove.

Arizona finished the first with a 9-3 shot advantage, and had St. Louis chasing more offense for the remainder of the game.

"That’s our best first period of the year, no doubt about it," head coach André Tourigny said. "With or without the puck, we had urgency, we had a plan, and we were focused."

The Coyotes' penalty kill was 3-for-3 on the night, and finished 15-for-15 against the Blues this season.

Ingram shut the door early and often, making several key saves throughout the final two periods to keep the Blues at arm's length. The 26-year-old netminder has won 10 games in 14 appearances this season after winning six all of last year, and his teammates -- and coach -- have taken note of his calm demeanor between the pipes.

Heading into Saturday's game he ranked 10th in the league in goals against average, and seventh in save percentage, and he continued his hot play against the Blues.

"Obviously, it’s more fun when you win," Maccelli said. "Ingy has been unreal, and so has [Karel Vejmelka], so if they keep going like that we’re going to have a lot more fun nights like this."

St. Louis made a strong push in both the second and third periods, outshooting Arizona 29-13 in the final two frames. Saad finally broke through at 9:35 of the final period, but Kerfoot’s empty-netter effectively iced the game with 1:15 to play.

"We needed Ingy to stand tall, and he was really good," Tourigny said. "He was the story of the last two periods."

Seven different Coyotes finished with at least one point on Saturday, including Kesselring, who was playing in just his 17th NHL game. The 23-year-old blueliner has fit in well with the lineup after initially being called up to help combat injuries, and has now recorded a point in three straight games.

He has four assists in eight games this season, and is plus-4 after finishing Saturday's game with a plus-2 rating.

"I think I’m just making simple plays, like the one last game was just a good defensive play, get a stick on it, go down and score," he said. "There’s a little luck involved, but we’ll take them when we can get them and keep that rolling, hopefully."

The Coyotes have two games left in their homestand, and Monday's game against the Washington Capitals concludes their run of facing conseuctive Stanley Cup champions. The Caps, who won in 2018, have won two of their last three games, and bring a wealth of experience and offense with them to The Valley.

It's yet another test for a team that continues to find ways to win games.

"We said it at the beginning of the season, we want to play meaningful games," Tourigny said. "We’re in a good spot, but we cannot take anything for granted. A bad week, and you’re out of it."

Puck drop against the Capitals on Monday is scheduled for 7 pm, and the game will be broadcast on the following networks:

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95
• Phoenix Satellite: DirecTV Channel 61, Dish Network Channel 61
• Bullhead City / Lake Havasu: Optimum channel 6
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4, Optimum Cable channel 6
• Maricopa: Orbitel channel 11
• Pinal County: Mediacom channel 13
• Prescott: Sparklight channel 61
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Show Low / Winslow Sparklight channel 61
• Tucson: Cox channel 85, Xfinity channel 1179, Orbitel channel 208
WHERE TO LISTEN:
• Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona Sports
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, NHL Mobile App