Gregor gets 1st NHL hat trick, Sharks top Coyotes

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Noah Gregor scored his first NHL hat trick, and Kyle Criscuolo and Danil Gushchin each scored his first NHL goal for the San Jose Sharks in a 7-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Saturday.

Logan Couture had a goal and an assist, Erik Karlsson had four assists, and Nico Sturm had two assists for the Sharks (22-39-15), who have won three in a row for the first time since Nov. 11-15. Kaapo Kahkonen made 29 saves for his first win since Feb. 12 (1-8-2).
"The guys in here are pretty happy. There haven't been a ton of moments where we can really be happy after a game, and after a big win like this, it feels great," Gregor said. "A lot of first goals as well."

Milos Kelemen scored his first NHL goal, and Ivan Prosvetov made 24 saves for the Coyotes (27-37-13), who have lost seven straight (0-5-2) and were playing the second of a back-to-back following a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday. Clayton Keller had his point streak end at 14 games (11 goals, 12 assists).
"We didn't have much. No emotion, no life, no spirit, nothing," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "I'm disappointed, especially for our fans. That's a game you wish had been played 2,000 miles from here."
Gregor gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 1:30 of the first period after Sturm stole the puck from Jack McBain.
Jacob Peterson extended it to 2-0 at 8:38 with a one-timer on a power play. The goal was his first NHL since March 29, 2022 (17 games).
"At this time of the year, you're looking for hope and looking for some positives, and it's really good to see guys come in and play well," Sharks coach David Quinn said. "And it makes the veterans feel good to see the young guys come up and do well."
Criscuolo made it 3-0 at 13:02 when he collected a loose puck that deflected off Nick Schmaltz and scored on a breakaway. The 30-year-old forward was playing in his 16th NHL game after being called up from San Jose of the American Hockey League earlier Saturday.
"I've probably watched every single first goal that the NHL has ever posted, just dreaming about this day," said Criscuolo, who plans on giving the puck to his father, who turned 65 on Saturday. "It's been a long journey and just super exciting, and a great moment."

J.J. Moser cut it to 3-1 at 17:07 when he scored on a power play.
Gushchin responded to make it 4-1 at 1:41 of the second period, scoring from the left face-off circle after receiving a pass from Karlsson. Gushchin, who was selected in the third round (No. 76) of the 2020 NHL Draft, was making his NHL debut.
"It's a pretty exciting moment, for sure," said Gushchin, who was also promoted from the AHL on Saturday. "A good pass by 'Karl.' A good shot, too. … Before my first game in the NHL, every coach has been telling me, 'Just shoot the puck, it'll go in.' So I just tried my best."

Barrett Hayton thought he cut it to 4-2 at 1:44 of the third period, but a video review determined that he interfered with Kahkonen by pushing his pad, which caused the puck to enter the net.
Gregor then made it 5-1 at 8:00 on a 2-on-1, and Couture pushed it to 6-1 at 10:10 with a one-timer on a power play.
"[We] weren't fast enough or sharp enough in our heads, mentally," Moser said. "They were always a step quicker."
Gregor completed the hat trick from the left circle to make it 7-1 at 14:47.
"It was pretty cool," Gregor said. "We still have a lot of pride in this room. We don't want to go out on a [nine-game] losing streak (0-6-3) like we were on there for a good stretch."
Kelemen knocked in his own rebound at 15:10 for the 7-2 final.
NOTE: Karlsson has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past six games. He has 95 points (22 goals, 73 assists) this season, passing Ray Bourque (1993-94) for the third-most in a season by a defenseman in the past 30 years. Only Phil Housley (97 in 1992-93) and Roman Josi (96 in 2021-22) have more.