Recap: Coyotes Start Trip With Win Over Leafs

TORONTO -- Unrattled by a 1-0 deficit after one period, the Coyotes rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night to begin a three-game trip through eastern Canada.

Vinnie Hinostroza scored the game-deciding goal at 6:44 of the third period, not long after John Tavares had pulled the Leafs into a 2-2 tie with his 30th goal of the season. Hinostroza, who hadn't scored since Nov. 11, buzzed the net and backhanded a rebound off Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen and over the line.
"It was nice to contribute," Hinostroza said. "Once we got in a groove, there was four lines going tonight and it was fun to be a part of that win ... We're really finding our identity here in how we want to play as a team, so it's good. It doesn't matter (who's in the lineup). We're a team and we have so many great characters in here."

Mario Kempe, Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse also scored for the Coyotes, who are 5-1-2 in their past eight games, despite a rash of injuries to key regulars. Derek Stepan and Jordan Oesterle chipped in two assists each.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 24 of 26 shots in his 25th start of the season. His teammates helped by blocking 30 shots.
"Just by watching, you can see the commitment we've had to playing on top of teams, playing defensive and playing as a team, including tonight," Kuemper said. "We're having a lot of success doing it lately. We're working hard so we just have to keep it going."

With the win, the Coyotes climbed to within four points of the Vancouver Canucks, who currently reside in the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings.
"There were some things we had to adjust after the first period," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "What I really liked is we had some good sticks on pucks and we blocked a lot of shots. Everybody just scratched and clawed, again, to get this win ... Our 'D' is really the heartbeat of our team. If they can hold us together back there, we usually can compete with most teams."
• Trailing 1-0, Kempe scored his goal on a breakaway at 2:16 of the second period. The Leafs challenged the goal, contending that Kempe was off-side before scoring. After video review, Kempe's goal was allowed.
Crouse, an Ontario native, assisted on the goal. He later scored an empty-netter to secure the win.

• Keller scored the game's prettiest goal when he wristed a shot from the left circle over Andersen's right shoulder and under the crossbar at 15:19 of the second period. The goal was Keller's 11th of the season and his second in two games.
"We played the right way," Keller said. "We came out a little bit slow, but when we settled down a little bit and stuck to our game plan, that's when we got some chances and put some pucks in. Anytime you get some momentum, you seem to play more simple, and I think we did that."

• Rookie defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin led the Coyotes with six hits and six blocked shots in 15:17 of ice time.
• Remarkably, the Coyotes are 8-0-1 in their past nine games played at Toronto dating to the 2002-03 season.