Red Wings send Coyotes to another loss

DETROIT-- The Arizona Coyotes were unable to win a second straight game, losing 5-3 to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday.

The Coyotes (1-11-1) allowed two goals in the first 2:37, one night after ending an 11-game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers.
"This was a huge lesson for us," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "We dipped our toe in the water instead of diving in. We can't afford to ease into games."
WATCH: [All Coyotes vs. Red Wings highlights]
Jimmy Howard made 30 saves for the Red Wings (6-6-1), who led 4-1 in the second period and won their second straight game. Detroit ended a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout win against the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
"This was a critical win," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "You don't want to call it a must win, but the schedule really sets up for you when you are at home and playing a team that got in late after playing last night."
Arizona pulled within 4-3 on Clayton Keller's goal with 3:17 left in the third period. Brandon Perlini waved at Keller's high shot and it hit off the shaft of Howard's stick, went over his shoulder and into the net. Perlini was originally credited with the goal, but Howard agreed with the revised call.
"I didn't think he touched it," Howard said. "To be honest, I thought it went in off the knob of my stick."
Darren Helm scored an empty-net goal with 1:22 left to make it 5-3.
Gustav Nyquist gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 1:29 of the first period, intercepting Alex Goligoski's clearing attempt and beating Scott Wedgewood with a wrist shot. Nyquist's shootout goal on Saturday ended Detroit's losing streak.
"I wanted that one back," Wedgewood said. "I thought I had it lined up, even with the traffic, but it knuckled and dropped at the last second."

Luke Glendening made it 2-0 at 2:37, putting a wrist shot over Wedgewood's shoulder from the right face-off circle.
The Red Wings almost made it 3-0 at 10:10, but Wedgewood made a glove save on Glendening's point-blank wrist shot.
"Scott kept us in the game with some huge saves in the first," Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. "We weren't ready to play, but he gave us a chance."
Jason Demers got Arizona within 2-1 at 11:36 of the second period, beating Howard with a slap shot from the point.
Anthony Mantha made it 3-1 at 13:03. Larkin stole the puck from Ekman-Larsson and made a quick pass to Andreas Athanasiou, who sent it to Mantha at the edge of the crease for a tap in.
"I knew the puck was coming to me," Mantha said. "Larkin is so quick with his stick. He attacked and got it to [Athanasiou] and he got it to me. I almost missed, but a goal is a goal."
Larkin gave the Red Wings a 4-1 lead at 19:03. His pass across the front of the net deflected off the stick of Arizona defenseman Luke Schenn past Wedgewood for his second goal of the season.
"We have to stop making so many egregious errors," Tocchet said. "Every team makes mistakes, but we have too many that end up in the back of our net."
Nick Cousins' second goal made it 4-2 at 2:00 of the third period.

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Goal of the game

Mantha's goal at 13:03 of the second period.

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Save of the game

Wedgewood's glove save against Glendening at 10:10 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Keller's goal at 16:43 of the third period.

They said it

"We weren't ready to play and they jumped on us. It was 2-0 after the first, but without [Wedgewood], it could have been 4-0 or 5-0." -- Coyotes forward Derek Stepan
"That's a big part of hockey. We got off to a good start and gave ourselves a cushion that we needed at the end." -- Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin

Need to know

Keller has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in a six-game point streak. … Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) did not play after he was injured against Philadelphia. "That's a 25-minute defensive defenseman that we have to replace, but good teams do that," Tocchet said. … Detroit played its only home game in an eight-game stretch.

What's next

Coyotes: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; FS-A, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: At the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, FS-D, NHL.TV)