Recap: Richardson Notches Four Goals in Arizona's 5th Straight Win

GLENDALE --Cranky from a lack of sleep,Brad Richardson notched four goals to lead the Coyotes to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Gila River Arena.

Alex Galchenyuk also scored a power-play goal and Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves to help Arizona secure its fifth consecutive victory and climb to within one point of Minnesota, which holds the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings with 18 games to play.
Richardson, who recently returned from a stint on the injured-reserve list, now leads the Coyotes with 16 goals in 48 games. He entered the game with 93 goals in 790 NHL games.

"'Richie' had a great game," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "... It seemed like every time we got sloppy, he would go out there and kind of settle our team down. That's big leadership. I have to give him a lot of credit tonight ... He's a pro. He acts like a pro, talks like a pro, practices hard every practice ... Those are the guys you want in that locker room. Those are the guys that change cultures."
Richardson, who is the first Coyotes player to score four goals in one game since Keith Tkachuk did it on March 20, 1997, told reporters he was angry when he arrived at the arena for the game because he had to skip his usual pre-game nap. Ironically, his break from the norm worked out well.
"I got punched in the face last game and I can't breathe out of my nose," Richardson explained. "So, I think it was something with that ... Maybe I'll keep the trend going."
• Playing wing on the line that Richardson centered, Vinnie Hinostroza and Richard Panik notched three assists apiece.
"It was just one of those nights where I felt we had the puck all the time and our line was kind of clicking and we were in the right spot at the right time," Richardson said. "They made some great plays for me."

Fresh out of the penalty box, Richardson scored a breakaway goal at 11:58 of the first period to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. Tanner Pearson answered with a similar breakaway goal 2:03 later to pull Vancouver into a 1-1 tie.
But it was all Richardson and the Coyotes from there, and Arizona capped a four-game, season-series sweep of the Canucks for the first time in franchise history.
"It was so much fun," Hinostroza said. "We just had a blast today. We weren't thinking about scoring, we were just thinking about playing hard. That's all we've been trying to do lately. Some games you're not going to score, and sometimes they're all going to go in."

• Derek Stepan left the game early in third period after getting tangled along the boards with Vancouver's Troy Stecher and suffering a lower-body injury during an Arizona power play. He did not return. Immediately after the game, Tocchet said he did not know the severity of Stepan's injury.
"We can't really speculate," Tocchet said. "We'll know a little more tomorrow. We'll deal with it tomorrow."
Stepan, an alternate captain, ranks third on the team with 13 goals and is a key defender.

• Kuemper has won six consecutive starts and is 14-3-3 since New Year's Day.
• The Coyotes have won five games in a row for the second time this season. The last time the team compiled multiple five-game winning streaks in one season was in 2011-12.

• With the win, Arizona improved to 14-14-3 on home ice.
"It has been a point of emphasis," Richardson said. "We know we haven't been great at home. We've talked about it, we've changed a few little things with our scheduling. It's a good time of the year to be winning at home."
• Stats that jump off the Event Summary: Hinostroza delivered five hits, and Alex Goligoski played 25:06 and blocked six shots.