Recap: Kuemper, Cousins Key Victory Over Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS -- Darcy Kuemper stopped 41 shots and Nick Cousins produced the game-winning goal for the Coyotes in a 5-2 victory over Vegas on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Arizona scored three times in the third period to retake control of a game it led 2-0 in the second period; Vegas notched two goals in a span of 5:01 to create a stalemate heading into the second intermission.
"There's no quit in this team," Cousins said. "It's unbelievable with all of these injuries and all the adversity that's been thrown at us this year. There's a no-quit mentality. When they tied it 2-2, there was no panic on the bench."

Cousins was just one of five Coyotes who notched two points in the victory. Four others chipped in one point, and Kuemper, who'd never beaten the Golden Knights, took care of the rest, especially in the first period when he stopped all 16 shots he faced.
"He was solid tonight," Coyotes Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "'Kemps' is seeing the puck."

With the win, Arizona climbed to within four points of Minnesota, which owns the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings.
"It's just a no-excuse mentality," said Kuemper, who won his 13th game of the season, one shy of his career-high. "Everyone's working hard, even in games like this where they come out and have the first period they do, you can still see our effort and the way we're defending and competing in the little areas of the ice that make the difference between getting scored on or getting a chance."

• Tied 2-2, Cousins corralled a loose puck at the top of the crease and put it past Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fluery, who was staggered in net, at 9:21 of the third period. Josh Archibald later scored a nifty, backhanded insurance goal at 17:48, and Richard Panik added an empty-netter in the game's final minute.

Cousins also assisted on Alex Galchenyuk's breakaway goal in the second period for another two-point outing; he's notched three in the past eight days.
• Jordan Oesterle scored a backdoor power-play goal at 9:38 of the second period to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. The goal extended Oesterle's career-high point streak to five games, and helped Arizona capture momentum after Vegas dominated the first period.
"We weathered the storm when we could," Tocchet said. "I thought we had some big goals from some big guys at crucial times. That bend-don't-break defense helped us tonight ... (There's) a long way to go, and a lot of hockey left, but this is a big win for this team."

• The Coyotes played minus forward Mario Kempe, who missed the game because of a lower-body injury he suffered in Saturday's game vs. Dallas. Rookie Michael Bunting replaced him in the lineup and played 10:39.
• Kevin Connauton skated 18:33, took two shots on goal and delivered two hits in his 300th NHL game.
• The win punctuated a fun getaway for the players and their fathers, who accompanied the team on the annual "Dads Trip."
"I think all the guys were pretty excited for this one," Kuemper said. "Obviously this is a very tough environment to come play in, but the effort was unbelievable, as we expected, with everyone's dad up in the stands. (We were) trying to make them proud."