Hinostroza gets first NHL hat trick, Coyotes top Ducks

GLENDALE, Ariz. --Vinnie Hinostroza got his first NHL hat trick, and the Arizona Coyotes gained in the Western Conference wild-card race with a 6-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Gila River Arena on Thursday.

"I'm excited. I haven't scored three goals in a game probably since juniors," Hinostroza said. "It's something you don't think about happening but when it does, it's something special. It comes in a win and at a special time when we're trying to hold a playoff spot."
Jason Demers had a goal and an assist, and Alex Goligoski and Christian Fischer each had two assists for the Coyotes (36-30-5), who have won 10 of their past 12 games and lead the Minnesota Wild by three points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I'm sure everybody looks at the standings but we're not going to focus on that. We can't let things get away," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "We've got to stay focused on our team. People start getting excited and telling you how great you are, and you've got to be careful. You can't lose that edge, you can't lift your foot off the gas pedal."
WATCH: [All Ducks vs. Coyotes highlights]
Darcy Kuemper made 36 saves and is 11-2-0 in his past 13 starts, including 12 straight.
"I just think as a team our momentum is kind of snowballing here," Kuemper said.
Jakob Silfverberg scored, and Ryan Miller made 18 saves for the Ducks (28-35-9), who went 2-1-2 in their season series against Arizona.
"I don't think it was a 6-1 game out there. It felt different," Silfverberg said. "We had our chances, just didn't score and then it's kind of been the flavor of the week, we take too many penalties."
Oliver Ekman-Larsson gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 17:25 of the first period with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that went off Miller's glove. It was Arizona's 15th shorthanded goal of the season, tying the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets record set by Winnipeg in 1988-89.
"We're comfortable defending, we're comfortable in our own zone," Kuemper said. "We know chances are going to come, and we're not panicking and opening up and letting them (score)."

Demers made it 2-0 at 19:10, but Silfverberg scored 58 seconds into the second period to cut it to 2-1.
Hinostroza skated around Ducks defenseman Jaycob Megna before scoring five-hole on Miller on a power play at 4:15 to make it 3-1. He scored another power-play goal to extend the lead to 4-1 at 17:45 after Demers' initial shot went to him in the left circle after being blocked by Megna.
"It got away from us there at the end," Ducks assistant coach Marty Wilford said. "Special teams obviously won that battle, and we were a little sloppy with the puck. We had numerous times where we could have cleared the puck and we didn't."
Hinostroza completed the hat trick to make it 5-1 at 19:10 of the third period, and Mario Kempe scored with less than a second remaining for the 6-1 final.
"[Hinostroza's] really pushing the pace the last month. He's really putting the heat on other team's defensemen," Tocchet said. "When he shoots, he's got a good shot. His game's gone to a different level."

They said it

"We had our chances, we had a lot of pucks toward the net, but we just didn't find the back of it. Especially towards the end, down 4-1, we made some bad mistakes and they kind of get us where they want us. We took some dumb penalties." -- Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg
"It's going to be a fun trip down the stretch. We know how every game is important, how every point matters. You can see that focus game in and game out, and as a group it's making us a better team." -- Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper

Need to know

The Coyotes haven't made the playoffs since 2012. … Miller entered the game 13-4-0 with a 1.47 goals-against average in 17 starts against Arizona. … Hinostroza has four goals in his past two games after going four games without a point. … Silfverberg has nine points (five goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak. … Kuemper is 19-5-3 since Jan. 1, the most wins in the NHL in that span.

What's next

Ducks:At the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, SN1, CITY, FS-A, NHL.TV)