Kuemper gets shutout, Garland scores twice to help Coyotes defeat Rangers

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves and Conor Garland had his first two-goal game in the NHL to help the Arizona Coyotes to a 5-0 win against the New York Rangers at Gila River Arena on Sunday.

Alex Galchenyuk had a goal and two assists, Clayton Keller scored his first goal in 17 games and Mario Kempe scored for Arizona (18-21-3), which ended a three-game losing streak.
"It was a great effort by everyone and being ready for the start," said Kuemper, whose shutout was his first since March 11, 2018, and his 12th in 150 NHL games. "We were able to build off that and have a complete 60 minutes], and I was trying to do my part."
***[WATCH: [All Rangers vs. Coyotes highlights\]*
Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals on 32 shots and was pulled in the second period for New York (17-17-7), which has been outscored 18-3 while losing three straight. The Rangers have lost 12 of their past 16 games (4-6-6).
"We're not playing good enough to win. We're making it too easy on teams and turning a lot of pucks over, doing things that lose hockey games," Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. "Right now, we're doing that in a big way."
Garland deflected Oliver Ekman-Larsson's wrist shot from the point on a power play for a 1-0 lead at 7:19 of the first period. Kempe scored exactly two minutes later to make it 2-0.

"He works hard every shift, regardless of what line he's on or how much ice time he's getting, he's ready to go," Kuemper said of Garland. "I think that's a contagious thing to watch and it gets everyone else working as well."
Garland scored again to make it 3-0 at 6:34 of the second by deflecting Nick Cousins' wrist shot that struck Kevin Shattenkirk's skate. Each of Garland's goals was credited to the initial shooters before being changed.
A fifth-round pick (No. 123) by the Coyotes in 2015, Garland has three goals in his past two games and five in 15 NHL games.
"I think I feel more comfortable every game. I get to see film after the game, talk to the coaches and pick up new things, work after practice and go over things," Garland said. "I'm feeling a lot more comfortable and it's slowing down."
Arizona had scored one goal or fewer in seven of its previous 12 games.
"When we got those first two goals, I could feel the bench and everyone relax," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "We were creating turnovers, and that's the way we have to play. We have to play hard like that."
Keller, selected to the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star game, scored for the first time since Dec. 1 to make it 4-0 at 15:13 of the second.

Galchenyuk scored Arizona's third goal of the period at 16:38 for the 5-0 final. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past eight games.
"We didn't defend well and that's the result," Rangers forward Chris Kreider said. "A little bit too much frustration creeps in right now when you give up a goal, the way things are going. We got away from the way you have to play to be successful. We did that early in the last couple of games, and that was the end result."
Lundqvist was replaced for the second time in as many starts by Alexander Georgiev, who made eight saves in 23:22. The Rangers were outshot 33-14 in the first two periods and 40-23 overall.
"We hung him out to dry too often," New York coach David Quinn said of Lundqvist. "When you have the puck as much as they did, it's tough. It's exhausting."

They said it

"You win or lose as a team, and right now we're finding a way to lose as a team. It's everyone through the lineup. We've got to come together and find way to start playing better hockey so we have a chance to win some games. You can point to anything you want, but right now we're playing losing hockey." -- Rangers defenseman Marc Staal
"It was definitely something we can all build off of. Everyone was ready when they dropped the puck. Now we just have to keep it going." -- Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper

Need to know

Tocchet got his 100th win as an NHL head coach. … Rangers forward Kevin Hayes (upper-body injury) missed a second successive game and remains day to day. … The Coyotes won both games of the season series, winning 4-3 in New York on Dec. 14. The Rangers had gained at least one point in their 10 previous games against Arizona. … The Coyotes were 1-6-1 in their previous eight home games.

What's next

Rangers: At the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, ATTSN-RM, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: At the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-A, NHL.TV)