Schmaltz scores natural hat trick, Coyotes shut out Blues

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Nick Schmaltz had a natural hat trick and an assist, and Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves for the Arizona Coyotes in a 5-0 win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

It was Schmaltz's first NHL hat trick in 397 career games.
"It's pretty cool," Schmaltz said. "It's always fun when you can score and contribute to a big win like that. It was a lot of fun out there and yeah, I'm happy to get the first `hatty.'"

Vejmelka's shutout was his third of the season and fourth in the NHL.
Barrett Hayton had a goal and an assist, and Nick Ritchie had two assists for the Coyotes (16-28-5), who won for the second time in three games after losing 11 of 12.
Thomas Greiss made 21 saves for the Blues (23-23-3), who lost their third straight and fifth in seven games.
"Two turnovers in the second period, and it's in our net," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. "The third period we come out and get scored on, on the first shift, with five veteran players on the ice. Game's over."
Schmaltz put Arizona ahead 1-0 at 10:55 of the second period, scoring on a 2-on-1 break with Lawson Crouse, who floated a pass over Blues defenseman Torey Krug's stick, hitting Schmaltz in stride as he skated to the net.
Vejmelka preserved the lead by making a point-blank save on Josh Leivo's shot on St. Louis' ensuing possession.

Schmaltz scored again at 13:56 for a 2-0 lead after Blues forward Jordan Kyrou turned the puck over in the neutral zone, freeing Schmaltz for a breakaway.
Schmaltz completed the hat trick 13 seconds into the third period to make it 3-0, tapping in the rebound of Hayton's shot from the right point during a scramble in front.
"'Schmaltzy' was really, really good," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "We played the right way; we played good defensively and we had great goaltending. St. Louis is dangerous on the rush, and we defended the rush pretty well. And we had an effort from everybody."
Schmaltz's third goal was initially disallowed because the net came off its moorings, but the call was overturned upon video review.
"I took a swipe at [the net] as it's going in and obviously pushed it off, but for what our coaches were saying, the puck was going the other way and that should have been a penalty, not a goal," St. Louis forward Brayden Schenn said. "But the refs made the call, and that's what it is."
Travis Boyd made it 4-0 at 5:02 before Hayton scored on the power play at 7:16 for the 5-0 final.

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk's apparent goal 5:05 into the game was quickly overturned because forward Robert Thomas brushed Vejmelka's glove just before the puck went in.
Thomas later took a stick to the midsection at 4:38 of the second and missed the rest of the game with a lower-body injury. Berube had no update afterward.
St. Louis' three consecutive losses have come against the below-.500 Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Coyotes.
"Those are three teams where, if you look at the schedule, and with all due respect to every team -- anybody can beat anyone -- those are the games that you have to play better in and get points," Schenn said. "To come away with zero points it's obviously tough, and now you find yourself digging a hole again."
The Coyotes were without defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (upper-body injury), but Crouse (four games) and forward Matias Maccelli (16 games) each returned from injury.
"Honestly, it was good to have some guys back in the lineup, two really good players who give us balance and more pace in our game, and shorter shifts for everybody," Tourigny said. "It changes a lot of things, but the most important thing was our mindset right from the beginning."
NOTES: St. Louis was 0-for-3 on the power play and is 2-for-22 in its past seven games. Arizona had allowed a power-play goal in eight consecutive games. … Schmaltz has four goals and three assists in his past three games. He has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 27 games against St. Louis; the multigoal game was his first of the season and 10th of his career. ... Crouse had an assist in 13:50 of ice time; Maccelli had one shot in 13:37.