Final Look: Coyotes Drop Close Contest to Minnesota

Their start was solid, to say the least.

Michael Grabner , with a little help from a friendly bounce, was credited with his fifth goal of the season when a pass from Aaron Ness  caromed off his skate and into the net to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead with 11:10 remaining in the first period. Ness' assist was his first in a Coyotes uniform.

Jakob Chychrun doubled the Coyotes' lead less than four minutes later, connecting on a one-timer from the high slot upon being set up by a Nick Schmaltz feed, upping Arizona's advantage to 2-0 with 7:20 left in the opening frame.

Minnesota responded with a power play goal early in the second period to cut the Coyotes' lead in half, 2-1.

Vinnie Hinostroza reclaimed a two-goal lead for Arizona with 11:40 to play in the second, depositing a wrist shot from the left boards after gaining Minnesota territory following a well-executed neutral zone transition.

The Wild scored twice in the final half of the second period to tie the score, 3-3, heading into the third.

The Coyotes out-shot the Wild 14-5 in the final frame, but Minnesota managed to take its first lead of the night, 4-3, with 15:06 left in regulation, the game's eventual final score.

"We got a little sloppy on a couple of their goals," said Brad Richardson . "We fell asleep, had some turnovers, and they were just kind of sitting back waiting for it, so we played right into their hands a couple of times. We gave them a few goals."

Richardson played 10:55 in his return to the lineup after missing seven games due to injury, registering two shots, four hits, and a plus-two rating.

"It was nice, it had been a while, it felt good to get out there and help and try to contribute," Richardson added. "I thought I was alright, but I'd like to get on the scoreboard here, I had some good chances."

Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves in the loss.

TRACKING IT

GAME #17: ARIZONA (3) vs. MINNESOTA (4)

• SOG: ARI - 35, MIN - 24
• PP: ARI - 0/3, MIN - 1/1

ARIZONA SCORING:

• 1) Grabner (5) (Ness) - 8:50/1st
• 2) Chychrun (4) (Schmaltz, Dvorak) - 12:40/1st
• 3) Hinostroza (2) (Oesterle, Ekman-Larsson) - 8:20/2nd

MINNESOTA SCORING:

• 1) Koivu PPG (2) (Spurgeon, Suter) - 3:19/2nd
• 2) Fiala (3) (Hunt, Parise) - 13:04/2nd
• 3) Dumba (2) (Fiala, Zucker) - 19:10/2nd
• 4) Hartman (2) (Spurgeon, Suter) - 4:54/3rd

THEY SAID IT

DON'T OVERLOOK IT

THE SITUATION: Coyotes trailing, 4-3, with 3:17 to remaining in the third period.

Darcy Kuemper gave the Coyotes a fighting chance in the waning moments of regulation, stopping Kevin Fiala on a rush as the Wild forward fled past coverage to drive in alone.

Fiala looked to capitalize with a move to his backhand, but Kuemper got a glove on the shot to keep the Coyotes to within a goal with three minutes left to play.

GOTTA SEE IT

THE SITUATION: Coyotes leading, 2-1, with 11:40 remaining in the second period.

Vinnie Hinostroza scored his second goal in three games, and also extended his point streak to three games, when he gave the Coyotes a 3-1 lead just prior to the midway mark of the second period.

After receiving a pass from Jordan Oesterle as the two criss-crossed in the neutral zone, Hinostroza drove wide left, settled down, and used Matt Dumba as a screen to deposit a seeing-eye wrist shot to the top right corner, shooting through the defenseman's legs and past the glove of Devan Dubnyk.

PHOTO FINISH

Donning honorary attire for Military Appreciation Night and for the upcoming Veterans Day holiday on Monday, Coyotes players wore specialty uniforms during warm-ups on Saturday night at Gila River Arena, which were auctioned off after the game to benefit the Arizona Coyotes Foundation. (Photo Credit: Norm Hall / Getty Images)

Lead Photo Credit: Norm Hall - Getty Images // GIF Highlight Footage - Fox Sports Arizona