Brassard scores hat trick, Coyotes cruise past Ducks

Derick Brassard scored three goals for the Arizona Coyotes in a 5-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday.

It was Brassard's first regular-season hat trick in the NHL.
"It's a special night, but I was just trying to help the team win any way we can … I was just at the right place at the right time," Brassard said. "We were ready to play, we had a plan we executed. It's going to give us some confidence scoring five goals."
Antti Raanta made 27 saves, and Jakob Chychrun had a goal and an assist during a three-goal first period for the Coyotes (13-13-5), who won for the first time in six games (1-3-2).
Adam Henrique scored for the Ducks (9-17-6), who fell behind 5-0 in their fifth loss in six games.
"It snowballed right off the bat. Sometimes, I think, the game doesn't have answers for you," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. "We looked a little hesitant and not full of that speed and support. When that happens, it's a cruel league if you're not on your game right away, and you fall down that far in a game."

Ryan Miller made 11 saves in the first period. Anthony Stolarz replaced him at the start of the second period and made 12 saves in his first NHL game since March 11, 2020.
Brassard gave Arizona a 1-0 lead 2:53 into the game when he drove to the net to deflect Chychrun's shot from the left point.
"He was doing the right things and paid off for him, going to the net on that first one and finding soft areas in the ice to capitalize, so good for him," Chychrun said. "I was joking, I broke my stick in the [defensive] zone and I was asking him for his, but there's no way he was giving up that thing. It was a big night for him."
Chychrun scored unassisted with a wrist shot from the left point to make it 2-0 at 5:35.
Brassard scored from the slot on the power play for a 3-0 lead at 15:22.
Phil Kessel took Oliver Ekman-Larsson's cross-ice pass at the top of the left face-off circle and fed Brassard to become the 20th United States-born player with 500 assists in the NHL.
"It means I've done pretty good, I think," Kessel said. "Hopefully, I can get a bunch more."
Brassard completed the hat trick with a slap shot from the left face-off dot 36 seconds into the second period to make it 4-0. He scored one goal in the previous 12 games.
"We were playing fast and making plays, and we put a few pucks on the net; it was just everyone just being ready to play," Brassard said. "We've got to take a page of that first period and try to bring it on home with us."
Clayton Keller scored at 12:17 of the third period for a 5-0 lead.

Henrique scored at 14:27 for the 5-1 final.
"I think everyone brought it for us," Coyotes forward Tyler Pitlick said. "Everyone was working hard, guys were talking on the bench and doing all the little things, and I think it showed. We were playing faster and getting goals."
The Coyotes, who couldn't hold a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ducks on Thursday, improved to 4-1-1 in the season series. It is the first time since 2009-10 that they've won four games against Anaheim.
"They're going to make their adjustments. They are going to bring their energy up. No team wants to lose both games," Eakins said. "That's the one problem with the back-to-backs, a lot of times they do tend to split up. But that's no excuse for us. We have to start games better."
Raanta's best save came with 8:45 left in the first period when Cam Fowler's shot deflected off his glove into the air, and he reached behind his back to swat it away with his glove.
NOTES: Brassard scored three goals for the New York Rangers in a 7-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final. … Brassard has scored 18 goals in 38 games against the Ducks. … Kessel is fourth in assists among active U.S.-born NHL players, trailing Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks (663), Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets (515) and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild (507). … Raanta missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury. ... The Coyotes scored four goals during their 0-3-2 slide. … Arizona went 2-3-2 on a seven-game road trip.