Recap: Stepan Leads Coyotes to SO Win Over Panthers

GLENDALE -- Derek Stepan scored twice, including a game-tying short-handed goal late in the third period, to lead the Coyotes to a 4-3 shootout win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at Gila River Arena.

"We're in playoff mode," Stepan said after the victory, Arizona's fourth in a row. "We don't have a choice. We have to continue to push and continue to gather points. Getting one in the overtime is great, but we desperately needed that second one."

Nick Cousins, Alex Galchenyuk and Vinnie Hinostroza all scored goals on Florida goalie Roberto Luongo in the shootout. Darcy Kuemper, who made 24 saves in 65 minutes, stopped one of the two shootout shots he faced.
Stepan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson produced goals 11:00 apart in the second, and Arizona led 2-1 after 40 minutes. But Florida notched two goals in the third period to take a 3-2 lead, and then headed to a power play when Brad Richardson was called for hooking with 6:46 to play. Just 17 seconds into the penalty kill, Stepan tied the score after making a nifty toe drag around Panthers defender Keith Yandle.
"The defenseman came sliding at me quicker than I thought he was going to," Stepan said. "My original thought was to try to get it over to (Richard Panik), but he came over and I decided to try to get around him."
Both goalies were solid in net in the overtime, when the teams combined for 13 shots in five minutes. Ekman-Larsson even made a nice 'save' to keep the game going.
"I thought that we stuck with it, and we've seen it so many times this year," Ekman-Larsson said. "We never give up. We just keep playing and keep finding ways to win hockey games now, and that's what it's all about."
Head Coach Rick Tocchet liked how the Coyotes competed 48 hours after an emotional win over Winnipeg and the Shane Doan jersey retirement ceremony. There was no hangover, he said.
"I thought we played a good game," Tocchet said. "It was back and forth all night and you could see on the bench we picked it up. It's been that way all year. When we're down, we're embracing those moments ... I think the guys are believing in what we're doing, they're pulling for each other ... We have 19 games left and it's going to have to be like this from here on in."

• By earning two points, Arizona climbed to within two points of Dallas in the Western Conference standings. The Stars currently own the second wildcard spot as teams continue to jockey for position.
Stepan agreed.
"Last year, we weren't even around it (the playoff race)," Stepan said. "So to be around it now, it's so much fun. The games ramp up and the importance of every little play is magnified. It's a great time of the year and we're enjoying it."
• Christian Dvorak skated 13:18, took two shots on goal, delivered two hits and won five face-offs in his season debut. He missed the first 62 games of the season because of an upper-body injury.

"It feels good," Dvorak said of getting back in the lineup. "You don't really feel a part of the team when you're not playing and it's been a while. (It's) a lot of fun to be back, especially at this time of year ... I thought I was all right. I thought I had some chances, I probably should have scored. I was out there for three goals against so that's not very good ... all in all I felt pretty solid."

• Kuemper has won five games in a row and 13 since Jan. 1, which is tied for the second-most victories among all NHL goaltenders during that span.
• With his goal, Ekman-Larsson tied David Babych for 13th place on the franchise's all-time points list with 321.

• Josh Archibald assisted on Ekman-Larsson's goal to extend his career-long point streak to four games.
• Stats that jump off the Event Summary: Galchenyuk took seven shots on goal, Lawson Crouse delivered six hits and Cousins won six of eight face-offs.