Recap: Pickard Makes 42 Saves in Loss to Predators

NASHVILLE -- Calvin Pickard made 42 saves for the Coyotes in a 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena in the finale of a three-game road trip.
Pickard, playing his second game for Arizona and his 100th in the NHL, was particularly sharp in the first period when he stopped all 16 shots he faced.

"I thought there were some opportunities five-on-five to crawl back into it, but we just didn't have the magic tonight," said Derek Stepan, who scored Arizona's second goal. "'Picks' was, by far, our best player tonight, and kept us in it and gave us a chance."

Vinnie Hinostroza also scored for the Coyotes, who led 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Nashville, which entered the match with a three-game home losing streak, took control by scoring three goals in the second period.
Hinostroza gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead with 3:01 left in the first period when he beat Preds goalie Pekka Rinne with a shot from the mid-slot after a nifty backhanded pass by Alex Goligoski.

Trailing 3-1, Stepan scored a backhanded wraparound goal at 4:19 of the third period to give the Coyotes some hope. But the Preds got a two-on-one goal from Calle Jarnkrok, and a lengthy empty-net goal by Roman Josi to seal the win and avoid being swept by the Coyotes in a season series for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
"Playing last night in Dallas with a quick turnaround, you know you're going to have to make saves," Pickard said. "You're coming into a tough building against one of the best teams in the League, so coming in I knew I had to make saves and be ready right from the start. They just kept coming in the second. Kudos to us. We battled really hard. We blocked shots and tied up sticks. It was a great effort from everybody. We were one shot away for most of the third period. I've got to give the guys credit, for sure."
• Goligoski returned to the lineup after missing about half of Monday's game at Dallas because of an upper-body injury.
• The Coyotes played minus goalie Darcy Kuemper, who suffered an upper-body injury in Monday's game at Dallas. He is considered day-to-day. Adin Hill, whom Arizona recalled from the American Hockey League on Tuesday morning, served as Pickard's backup. Defenseman Kevin Connauton also was sidelined vs. the Preds and is considered day-to-day because of a lower-body injury he suffered Monday at Dallas.

• Kyle Capobianco skated 15:56 in his season debut and took one shot on goal, delivered two hits and blocked a shot. The game was Capobianco's second in the NHL; he played one game for the Coyotes last season at Boston on Dec. 7, 2017.
• With the loss, the Coyotes finished 0-2-1 on a three-game road trip after their bye week.
"We knew it was going to be a tough trip with the travel and all of that stuff, but a winnable game in San Jose, winnable game in Dallas," Tocchet said. "Obviously we didn't deserve to win the game (against Nashville), but these are the types of games that if you snuck that goal, maybe you get a point."

• Stats that jump off the Event Summary: Josh Archibald led the Coyotes with five shots on goal, Lawson Crouse delivered five hits and Jordan Oesterle skated a team-high 25:15.