Coyotes Fall to Kings in Second Game of NHL Global Series

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Barrett Hayton and Travis Dermott scored, and Karel Vejmelka made 32 saves, but the Arizona Coyotes fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings at Rod Laver Arena in the second-and-final game of the 2023 NHL Global Series on Sunday (Saturday in the US).

Andrian Kempe scored twice and Jacob Moverare added a goal as the Kings rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the third period to earn the series split. Cam Talbot stopped 20 of 21 shots through two periods, while David Rittich stopped 11 of the 12 shots he saw in the third.

Though the Coyotes dropped Sunday’s game, the entire week’s experience proved to be arguably just as valuable than the two games they played in front of sold-out crowds at the home of the Australian Open. The club made countless memories and bonded together as a team before taking on an NHL-caliber roster in the first two games of their preseason.

Both of those elements added up to a successful trip Down Under.

“I think it was a really good opportunity to speed up, a little bit, our tempo and our comprehension of what we’re trying to do in a lot of situations,” head coach André Tourigny said. “We did a lot of system stuff, learned to know each other, and being in that competitive environment (helped) as well.”

The weekend started with a bang following the Coyotes’ 5-3 win, and they jumped out into the lead again on Sunday courtesy of Hayton’s power-play goal at 11:18 of the first period. He finished the weekend with two goals, while Arizona’s top line of Clayton Keller, Hayton, and Nick Schmaltz seemingly picked up right where it left off last season as they combined for seven points in two games.

The 23-year-old forward posted a career-best 43 points in 82 games last year, and said the three had hoped to click immediately this preseason.

“That was what we were trying to do,” Hayton said. “There’s definitely some timing and stuff like that, but that comes when we get more reps … You can see some chemistry, but we definitely still have a lot to work on.”

The Coyotes will hit the road for the long trip home on Monday (Sunday in the US), but the unique experience in Melbourne has clearly already had an impact on the team, giving it the opportunity to bond much sooner than in a typical training camp year.

The team chemistry has been apparent all week, and it will only get stronger as the regular season draws near.

“In training camp, you usually have a split squad and you’re going all over the place, so being able to have a bunch of guys here together, and obviously the travel, little things during the week we were able to do together, it just brings such a quick start into that team building,” Hayton said. “I think it’s definitely very valuable, and something we can kind of use as a springboard.”

Forward Dylan Guenther agreed.

“I think we were able to get a head start on getting to know one another,” Guenther said. “Every new player, and returning players too, so it was a lot of fun that way.”

The Coyotes’ training camp roster that remains in the United States continues the team’s preseason schedule on Sunday against the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 pm MST at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin. The Coyotes played two split-squad games on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, winning 5-1 in Wichita Kan, and falling 3-2 in St. Louis.