The Wrap: Coyotes Fall to Blue Jackets on Opening Night

Final Score: Blue Jackets 8, Coyotes 2

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Clayton Keller notched his first goal of the season, and a pair of newcomers on the blueline found the scoresheet, but the Coyotes opened the 2021-22 season with an 8-2 loss in Columbus.
"We had breakdowns defensively," said André Tourigny. "I think at some point we got emotional a little bit and got off our game, but if you look at the way we played we did things better than what the score showed," said Tourigny. "I think it's one game. We have to be better defensively, we know that, we know how to fix it, and we will fix it, but it's an unfortunate final score."
Alex Texier broke the ice 40 seconds into the night and the Yotes found themselves behind the eight ball. The lead was doubled before the intermission, and widened to 3-0 35 seconds into the middle stanza.
Anton Stralman recorded his first goal as a member of the Coyotes with a slap shot from the point that cut the deficit to 3-1.

However, the Blue Jackets kept the pressure on and added two more tallied to grab a 5-1 lead heading into the third period.
"You learn from it," said Keller. "It's a long season, and the game is over with."
The third mirrored the second with a trio of Blue Jackets goals to one by Arizona. Despite Zach Werenski and Max Domi notching the third period's first two goals, Arizona kept fighting and got one back with Keller converting on the power play.
"Leadership guys definitely stepped up in between periods. We don't want to quit no matter what the score is," said Keller.

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The Game:
First Period (CBJ 2, ARI 0): Alexandre Texier (1), assisted by Max Domi (1) and Vladislav Gavrikov (1) at 0:40. /// Oliver Bjorkstrand (1), assisted by Zach Werenski (1) and Jakub Voracek (1) at 14:05.
Second Period (CBJ 5, ARI 1): Boone Jenner (1), assisted by Max Domi (2) at 0:35. /// Anton Stralman (1), assisted by Lawson Crouse (1) and Johan Larsson (1) at 1:03. /// Oliver Bjorkstrand (2), assisted by Jack Roslovic (1) and Vladislav Gavrikov (2) at 11:10. /// Jake Bean (1), assisted by Jakub Voracek (2) and Patrik Laine (1) at 14:16.
Third Period (CBJ 8, ARI 2): Zach Werenski (1), assisted by Patrik Laine (2) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (1) at 4:33. /// Max Domi (1), assisted by Cole Sillinger (1) and Andrew Peeke (1) at 8:48. /// Clayton Keller (1), assisted by Phil Kessel (1) and Shayne Gostisbehere (1) at 16:46. /// Gustav Nyquist (1), assisted by Oliver Bjorkstrand (2) and Jack Roslovic (2) at 18:36.
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Statistics:
SOG: ARI - 38, CBJ - 26
PP: ARI - 1/4, CBJ - 2/3
Hits: ARI - 18, CBJ - 11
Blocks: ARI - 9, CBJ - 19
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Tourigny's Take: "I didn't feel any panic. I felt frustration, which is normal, from me and everybody. It's not what we wanted. At the same time I never felt we were losing our composure or out of control. It's not the start we wanted, but we have a chance to bounce back in Buffalo, and we'll be ready."
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Keller said: "Tough game, but it's the first game of the year. We did some good things. There were a couple of breakdowns in the second period there, and it's in the back of our net. You learn from it, but the game is over. Nothing we can do about it. We have 81 more games, so on to the next one."
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Notable:
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A Closer Look: Clayton Keller and Anton Stralman begin the year as the team-leader in goals (1); four players share the team-lead in assists (1); six players share the team-lead in points (1).
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Coyotes Lineup:
Forwards
Crouse - Schmaltz - Keller
Ladd - Fischer - Kessel
Dzingel - Larsson - Eriksson
Roussel - Beagle - Jaskin
Defensemen
Chychrun - Timmins
Gostisbehere - Stralman
Lyubushkin - Soderstrom
Scratches
O'Brien
Provolnev
Boyd
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Roster Notes: Ryan Dzingel, Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Dmitrij Jaskin, Shayne Gostisbehere, Anton Stralman and Carter Hutton all made their Coyotes debuts on Thursday. Alex Galchenyuk and Kyle Capobianco did not play due to injury.
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What's Next: The Coyotes travel to Buffalo for a matinee tilt with the Sabres on Saturday (Oct. 16). Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. AZ time.
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Photo of the Game: The group congratulates Anton Stralman for finding the back of the net. Stralman's shot from the point got the Yotes on the board and marked the club's first tally of the season.

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Highlights:
Video: ARI Recap: Keller, Stralman score goals in 8-2 loss