Neuvirth comes off bench to give Flyers shootout win against Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Michal Neuvirth became the first NHL goalie to win when entering a shootout in relief in the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Saturday.
Neuvirth replaced injured goalie Brian Elliott after the second round and made five consecutive saves. Elliott sustained a lower-body injury in the second round on an attempt by Clayton Keller and will be re-evaluated when the Flyers return to Philadelphia on Monday.

WATCH: [All Flyers vs. Coyotes highlights]
A goaltender has entered a game during a shootout five times previously, but all were losses.
"Crazy stuff," Neuvirth said. "But it was a big win for us."

Nolan Patrick scored the winner in the seventh round for the Flyers (27-19-9), who moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division following their third straight victory.
Claude Giroux, Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds scored in regulation for Philadelphia, which is 1-4 in shootouts this season.
Antti Raanta made 40 saves, and Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski and Zac Rinaldo scored for Arizona (13-32-10).
The Coyotes are 1-4-1 in their past six games.
"I thought we played solid, a full 60 minutes," Rinaldo said. "It just (stinks) that we have to lose in a shootout like that. That's not a way to lose a game."
Demers gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 3:53 of the first period from the right face-off circle with a low shot that slipped under Elliott's right pad.
Giroux tied the game 1-1 at 10:19 of the first period on a power play. Giroux took a cross-ice pass from Jakub Voracek and sent a one-timer under the crossbar from the left face-off circle.
Raffl gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead at 11:41 of the first period when he beat Raanta high to the glove side for his 10th goal of the season.

Goligoski tied the game 24 seconds into the second period when his wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle eluded Elliott inside the near post.
Simmonds gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead on a power play when he redirected Shayne Gostisbehere's shot from the point at 2:12 of the second period.
The Coyotes entered the game with the NHL's 28th ranked home penalty-killing unit (76.2 percent). Arizona allowed two goals on four Flyers power plays.
"I don't know what you could attribute it to, but I always say that sometimes you get comfortable at home," Demers said. "You think it's going to be a little easier at home because you've got that home-ice advantage, but it's all the more reason to be more diligent."
Rinaldo tied the game 3-3 at 1:59 of the third period when he beat Elliott over the shoulder from the right face-off circle, but the Coyotes managed one shot in overtime.

The Flyers lost 10 straight games (0-5-5) from Nov. 11 to Dec. 2. They are 19-8-2 since.
"If you told me when we lost those games that we'd be in this position, to be honest, I don't think I'd believe you," Giroux said. "We're playing some great hockey. A lot of guys are playing a good team and we've got to build on this."

Goal of the game

Patrick's shootout goal.

Save of the game

Raanta's save against Sean Couturier at 4:59 of overtime.

Highlight of the game

Giroux's goal at 10:19 of the first period.

They said it

"Shootout wins haven't been easy for us to come by, so that's the way we've got to do it." -- Flyers coach Dave Hakstol
"I hate shootouts. You're rolling the dice. We've practiced it the last couple times and there hasn't been a whole lot of guys scoring, so it's just basically you're picking a guy out of the hat." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet

Need to know

With two assists, Gostisbehere extended his point streak to five games. He has nine points (one goal, eight assists) during the streak. … Voracek has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) during an eight-game point streak. He has 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in his past 16 games. … Coyotes forward Derek Stepan has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three games.

What's next

Flyers: At the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, NBCSP, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)