'Yotes Notes: Arizona Wilts in Third Period vs. Panthers

SUNRISE, FLA. --The Coyotes won the first two periods played Saturday night at the BB&T Center, but crumbled in the third when the desperate Florida Panthers continued their push to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Down 2-0 at the second intermission, Florida, which is three points out of postseason contention with two weeks left in the season, scored four unanswered goals within the game's final 14 minutes to bank two more points.

"We looked fast and then some guys got a little tired and we got a little sluggish with our details," Coyotes Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "This is a team that's scratching for the playoffs. They have some high-end players and they started making a push in the third and we just couldn't make 'that play.'"

Darcy Kuemper made a season-high 43 saves for Arizona, which dropped to 1-2-0 halfway through a six-game road trip.
"Obviously, they're desperate in the position they're at," Kuemper said. "They just kind of kept coming. Unfortunately, we just couldn't hold them off. It's a desperate team over there that was able to get the upper hand late."
Tocchet did not like how the Coyotes failed to clear the puck from their zone in the second and third periods, when Florida launched 20 and 18 shots on goal, respectively.
"We had a couple of times to clear the puck," Tocchet said. "Along the walls, we're not a good wall team. That's something we're going to have to correct this summer. The walls and things around the net will get you in the playoffs and win Stanley Cups, and we have to get better at that because they made a press and there was a couple of times that I thought we could have got the puck out with some grit and we never got it out."
• The Coyotes raised some eyebrows by starting Kuemper over a healthy Antti Raanta considering Kuemper allowed six goals on Thursday in a loss at Carolina. The coaching staff wanted to give Kuemper an immediate chance at redemption and, for the most part, he got it.
"I thought I was back to playing my game," Kuemper said. "I felt pretty good in there, just frustrated with the loss."

• Citing goaltender interference on Jamie McGinn, Arizona challenged Florida's second goal, scored by Vincent Trocheck from in close at 9:33 of the third period. After review, the goal was allowed.
"In my opinion, he pushes me into the net," Kuemper said. "The ref said that it was a shooting motion and that's why it counted, so that's how they saw it."
Tocchet did not have much to say about the non-call.
"I'm not going there," Tocchet said. "Those guys are two good refs, veteran guys."
• Clayton Keller gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead when he backhanded a cross-slot pass from Richard Panik past Panthers goalie James Reimer at 14:36 of the first period.
The goal was Keller's 22nd and it tied him with Peter Mueller for most goals scored by a Coyotes rookie in a season. Mueller notched 22 a decade ago. The goal also extended Keller's point streak to eight games. He later assisted on Arizona's other goal to tally his 13th multi-point game - a Coyotes rookie record.
• Panik scored his 11th goal of the season, and fifth in the month of March, at 1:33 of the second period when he deflected a shot by Derek Stepan between Reimer's legs and into Florida's net. Panik, who notched just four points in his first 15 games with Arizona, has produced eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past 13 games.
• Stepan assisted on both Arizona goals to notch his fourth consecutive multi-point game.
• Trevor Murphy skated 10:39, took one shot on goal and blocked a shot in his NHL debut.
"It was a crazy feeling," said Murphy, an undrafted defenseman whom Arizona acquired via trade with Nashville last month. "I'm glad I got that out of the way. The first couple shifts I was real nervous. I felt pretty comfortable actually, I felt good out there tonight. It's exciting."

Murphy played in front of his parents, who made the trip to south Florida from Windsor, Ontario, for the game. He also played in front of Bob Boughner, who coached Murphy in junior hockey for three seasons and who now just happens to be the head coach of the Florida Panthers.
"That was pretty cool," Murphy said. "My first shift, I skated by and he gave me a little wink, so that was pretty cool to see ... It was pretty surreal."

• The Coyotes inserted Murphy into the lineup to replace Niklas Hjalmarsson, who suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday's game at Carolina. Hjalmarsson returned to Arizona on Friday to be further evaluated and is considered day-to-day.
• Brendan Perlini was back on the ice after being scratched for Thursday's game at Carolina. Perlini played 12:33 vs. Florida, all at even strength, and generated three shots on goal.
• Luke Schenn led all skaters with five hits, Jakob Chychrun, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski all blocked four shots, and Christian Dvorak won 10 of 15 face-offs in defeat.