Recap: Panik Leads Coyotes to Overtime Win over Canucks

VANCOUVER --Richard Panik scored the game-winning goal with 50 seconds left in overtime as the Coyotes began a three-game trip with a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday night.

"That was a character win for us," said Niklas Hjalmarsson, who made a key shot block during a third-period penalty kill. "In the past, we've had these types of games and found a way to lose a lot of points. Today we got both points. I thought it was a good effort. We battled out there."
Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 of 36 shots, including three in overtime.

Nick Cousins and Conor Garland also scored for the Coyotes, who have beaten Vancouver twice this season with two more games to go.
Arizona led by one goal three times, but the Canucks tied the score each time. Vancouver's Sven Baertschi, who also tallied two goals, sent the game to overtime by scoring from in close with 4:25 left in the third period.
Panik, who notched two goals and one assist overall, ended the game in OT by beating Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom with a wrist shot from the right circle after Vancouver had dominated the extra session. It was the first career overtime goal for Panik, who's played 375 NHL games. Jakob Chychrun assisted with a creative pass off the right-wing boards.
"I was just trying to put a good shot on the net and it went in," Panik said.

Head Coach Rick Tocchet liked how the Coyotes bent but didn't break.
"We got the lead a couple times and Vancouver scratched and clawed to get back in it," Tocchet said. "With the injuries and guys banged up, it was one of those games we just needed that little inch from everybody and we got a little inch from everybody."

• Panik put the Coyotes ahead 1-0 when he converted a slick pass from Vinnie Hinostroza from behind the net into a goal at 1:26 of the second period. The goal was Panik's eighth of the season and first since Dec. 22.
• Tied 1-1, Panik set up Arizona's second goal with a slap shot from the left circle. Markstrom blocked it, but Cousins, stationed in front of Markstrom, bumped the rebound over the line with his right skate. Vancouver challenged the goal, citing goaltender interference on Cousins, but the goal was allowed.
• Garland gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead when he scored his fourth in the past three games at 9:57 of the third period. Alex Galchenyuk set it up with some nifty stickhandling followed by a crisp pass across the slot from the left circle.
"The whole bench was yelling (at Galchenyuk) to shoot, but he saw something there and Garland is by the net again and he gets that tap in," Tocchet said. "Give the kid credit, he's got six goals and a lot are around the net."
• Kuemper has won back-to-back starts and stopped 56 of 59 shots in the two games.
"We did a good job of staying above bodies in the neutral zone and not giving them a whole lot off the rush," Kuemper said "...There were times when they really poured it on, but we didn't break."

• Laurent Dauphin skated 12:19 in his first game of the season and took two shots on goal. Dauphin hadn't played an NHL game since suffering a serious knee injury last March in a game vs. Colorado.