Recap: Kuemper Leads Coyotes to Win Over Caps

WASHINGTON -- Playing his third game in four nights, backup goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 38 of 39 shots on Sunday to lead the Coyotes to a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.
"I thought he was really solid," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "He looked really big in the net. They've got sharpshooters over there, so he withstood those guys. It was nice to see."

Kuemper didn't get a lot of sleep on Saturday night as he replayed a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh earlier that night in his mind. But he was sharp come puck drop on Sunday, and his stellar performance against the defending Stanley Cup champs helped the Coyotes snap a three-game losing streak.
"Our focus coming in was playing the right way," Kuemper said. "We did a good job of that ... We had everyone going, and that's what we need to be successful. Everyone was just doing their jobs tonight, and when that happens, good things happen for us."

Richard Panik and Alex Galchenyuk both notched a goal and an assist to lead Arizona's offense, which was a no-show just 24 hours earlier in Pittsburgh. Vinnie Hinostroza and Derek Stepan also scored goals. Hinostroza's was a power-play goal in the first period and Stepan's was an empty-netter late in the game.
"I thought it was a big game for us," captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. "It's going to give us some confidence moving forward. Beating a team like that means a lot to us."

• Trailing 2-0, Nicklas Backstrom scored to pull Washington to within a goal at 12:41 of the second period. The Coyotes quickly regained the momentum at 14:38 when Galchenyuk produced a power-play goal, Arizona's second of the game, with a back-handed shot from the top of the crease.
Washington out-shot Arizona, 16-5, in the middle frame.
"Getting a couple of power-play goals helped," Tocchet said. "I thought we skated pretty good. They came out in the second and I think we withstood that pressure by them."

Tocchet also liked the way in which Arizona protected its lead, unlike last Thursday at Philadelphia when the Coyotes failed to win despite leading 4-2 after two periods.
"We managed the puck a lot better," Tocchet said. "... Listen, you're playing the champs and they were pressing. I just don't believe that you can back off when teams press. You have to meet fire with fire. I thought we were better at that."
• Panik, who was a healthy scratch at Pittsburgh on Saturday, scored an unassisted goal via a wrist shot from the right circle that soared over Caps goalie Braden Holtby's glove and under the crossbar.
"It feels good, but I think the win feels better," Panik said of his first two-point game of the season. "For me, I think it's going to give me more confidence, and hopefully I will be in the lineup in the next game and go from there."

Panik sakted 18:35, his longest outing since Oct. 13.
"That was a big shot for us," Tocchet said of Panik's goal. "He was good along the walls. We need those type of players, and when he plays like that, he can be a good player for us."
• The Coyotes were called for just two penalties and killed both. They lead the NHL in penalty-killing percentage at 91.8.

• Arizona again played minus starting goalie Antti Raanta (lower-body injury) and defenseman Alex Goligoski (lower-body injury). They've missed the past four and two games, respectively. Lawson Crouse, who absorbed a hi-stick in the face and a hard shot to the leg at Pittsburgh on Saturday, was listed as a healthy scratch.
• Stats that jump off the Event Summary: Brad Richardson won 10 face-offs, Niklas Hjalmarsson blocked three shots, including two blasts off the stick of Alex Ovechkin, and Ilya Lyubushkin delivered a team-high four hits in just 10:35 of ice time.