The Golden Knights took control with a four-goal second period. Chandler Stephenson, Pacioretty again, Michael Amadio and Evgenii Dadanov all tallied to help Vegas build a 6-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
"We've got to be a little more committed to the defensive side of the puck at first instead of thinking and hoping that we're going to keep it in and we're going to stay on offense and stay on the attack," said Boyd. "Sometimes it's better to err on the side of caution; err on the side of defense, stay above your guy. That way if something bad does happen you're in good defensive position and we're not giving up rushes like we did tonight."
Vegas' Nicolas Roy added one more goal late in the third period to extend the visitor's lead to 7-1 - the eventual final score.
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The Game:
First Period (VGK 2, ARI 1):Jonathan Marchessault (10), assisted by Nicolas Roy (8) and Reilly Smith (7) at 6:58. /// Travis Boyd (6), assisted by Clayton Keller (10) ad Phil Kessel (10) at 7:51. /// Max Pacioretty (4), assisted by Shea Theodore (10) and Evgenii Dadonov (5) at 13:53.
Second Period (VGK 6, ARI 1):Chandler Stephenson (9), assisted by Reilly Smith (8) and Alex Pietrangelo (10) at 7:17. /// Max Pacioretty (5), assisted by Mark Stone (10) at 8:12. /// Michael Amadio (1), assisted by William Carrier (3) and Nicolas Hague (7) at 12:47. /// Evgenii Dadonov (6), assisted by Mattias Janmark (5) and Dylan Coghlan (4) at 15:08.
Third Period (VGK 7, ARI 1):Nicolas Roy (3), assisted by Shea Theodore (11) and Michael Amadio (2) at 17:54.
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Statistics:
SOG:ARI - 30, VGK - 32
PP: ARI - 0/3, VGK - 1/2
Hits:ARI - 27, VGK - 13
Blocks: ARI - 12, VGK - 10
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Tourigny's Take: "What stings is it's in front of our fans. You never want that kind of performance in front of our fans. So, it's not fun but at the same time I don't think we'll let one game define who we are and what we're all about and I think we're a proud team, we're tough to play against and we work hard, and that won't change because of one game."
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Travis Boyd said: "I actually didn't think we started that bad, I thought we were pretty good. Look, they're a great team over there and they've got a lot of skill and we just got beat up the ice. Tough tonight. I mean, look at all their goals, all their goals are off the rush, and they're beating us up the ice all night, had odd man opportunities, and you know they had, I don't know off the top of my head, but I know there was a ton of rush goals for them. At the end of the day we just can't give up that many opportunities for them. Eventually they're going to bury them and you saw that tonight."
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Notable:
• Travis Boyd scored his sixth goal of the season in his 17th game to set a new single-season career-high.
• The goal was also Boyd's 50th career point.
• Phil Kessel and Clayton Keller each reached the 10-assist benchmark on the season by assisting on Boyd's goal. The Coyotes now have three skaters with 10-plus assists (other: Gostisbehere, 13).
• Keller has recorded 10 points (3-7-10) in his last eight games.
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Coyotes Lineup:
Forwards
Keller - Boyd - Kessel
Crouse - Hayton - Fischer
Roussel - Dzingel - Eriksson
O'Brien - Galchenyuk - Ladd
Defensemen
Chychrun - Capobianco
Gostisbehere - Mayo
Lyubushkin - Strålman
Scratches
Dineen
Larsson
Fasching
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Roster Notes: Forwards Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Ladd returned to the lineup in place of Johan Larsson (Day-to-Day) and Hudson Fasching (Healthy Scratch).
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What's Next: Arizona heads to Texas for a quick one-game road trip on Monday (Dec. 6) against the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is scheduled or 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on Bally Sports Arizona+ and ESPN 620 AM.
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Photo of the Game: Travis Boyd pivots after converting on an odd-man rush. The goal was his sixth of the season to set a new single-season career-high.
