'Yotes Notes: Vrbata Extends Point Streak to 7 Games

Radim Vrbata scored his 13th goal of the season vs. the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night to extend his point streak to seven games.
Vrbata tipped in a pass from the left wing by Martin Hanzal with 1:21 left in the first period to pull Arizona into a 3-3 tie at the United Center.

Chicago scored three unanswered goals over the final two periods to earn a 6-3 win and sweep the three-game season series from the Coyotes.

Vrbata's seven-game point streak (two goals, five assists) is the longest point streak by a member of the Coyotes this season and it ties his career-high, which he set in 2011-12.
• Head Coach Dave Tippett was not pleased with his team's effort.
"Between turnovers and not getting some extra saves, that's what you get right there," Tippett said regarding the lopsided final score. "… I don't think anyone expected it to be 3-3 after the first period. Both teams made a couple mistakes in coverage early on and we kept making them and not getting saves, and that's how the game ended up where it did."

• Defenseman Jakob Chychrun scored Arizona's first goal at 7:36 of the first period. The goal was the rookie's fifth of the season and his second in two games, and it pulled the Coyotes into a 1-1 tie after they'd fallen behind, 1-0, at 0:37 of the first period.
"We have to start better," Chychrun said. "That will be our focus for our next game, like it always should be … We expect to win and we know how we have to play and tonight we did not do that. It's tough. It's part of the learning process for us in here. Now that we know how we have to play, we realize what we have to do differently. Tonight, it wasn't good enough."

• Captain Shane Doan competed in his 1,525th game to move into sole possession of 15th place on the NHL's all-time games played list.
• Defenseman Anthony DeAngelo played 19:48 in his first game with the team since Dec. 31. He took three shots on goal, delivered two hits and blocked one shot.
• Center Alex Burmistrov notched two assists to end a five-game point drought.
• Per Tippett, backup goalie Louis Domingue will start Friday's game at Dallas in place of Mike Smith, who stopped only 23 of 29 shots vs. Chicago.
"It was a poor game, right from our goaltender out," Tippett said. " ...We had veterans that were brutal out there tonight."