'Yotes Notes: Raanta 'Locked In' During Shutout vs. Blues

GLENDALE --The Coyotes didn't need a shutout from Antti Raanta on Saturday night, but they got one to punctuate a feel-good performance by the entire team in the penultimate home game of the season in front of a sellout crowd at Gila River Arena.
Raanta stopped all 34 shots he faced to key a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues and earn his 20th win of the season and his third shutout since joining the Coyotes. He's won eight of his past nine starts and stopped 262 of 274 shots in those games. That's a .956 save percentage.

"Look at his numbers," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "He's just real solid. He's seeing the puck and it has been like that for two or three months. He's really locked in. He's in great shape, practices hard and he wants to win. He's actually a leader back there. Sometimes they say goalies aren't leaders, (but) he's been leading big time back there for us."
Raanta's best save, or series of saves, came late in the second period when he made multiple stops during a wild sequence in front of his net. Defenseman Trevor Murphy provided some key support behind Raanta in the crease.
"I felt probably the first shot and after that it was just a scramble," Raanta said. "When I was laying on my belly I didn't even know where the puck was any more. Our guys were doing a great job at the net when I was swimming there."

Raanta is thriving late in the season as he solidifies himself as a No. 1 goaltender in the League. That was clearly evident vs. the Blues as Raanta stayed focused and worked hard to preserve his shutout in a lopsided game.
"Sometimes the games when you have a big lead, it kind of opens it up a little bit more and the other team doesn't have anything going anymore so they just throw everything to the net," Raanta said. "... When the other team is desperate they are going to do everything to get the one goal and get going. The guys were helping me a lot and when I needed to make a save I was able to make it."

• Eleven Coyotes notched at least one point for the Coyotes as they beat St. Louis on home ice for the first time since March 22, 2011.
Max Domi and Dylan Strome led the way with three assists each. Luke Schenn, Richard Panik, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakob Chychrun, Alex Goligoski and Zac Rinaldo were the goal scorers.
• Schenn's goal was his first of the season and it came with his brother Brayden watching from the St. Louis bench and their parents watching inside the arena.
"I was not wanting to go through the whole year without getting one," said Schenn, who has scored 30 goals in his NHL career. "I was doing a lot of extra shooting after practice."
Schenn, who led both teams with six hits, was one of four Arizona defensemen to light the lamp vs. the Blues.
"I think for the most part the guys played a full 60 minutes," Schenn said. "Obviously, in the third period in particular, Raanta was incredible, had some great saves. We gave up a few more chances than we'd like and he was there to bail us out and he had a great game. It was nice to see the 'D' contribute and score some goals, and I think the power play did well."

Luke and Brayden Schenn played together with Philadelphia from 2012-15.
"It's exciting," Schenn said of playing against his brother. "You never want to take for granted in the NHL playing with your brother … Playing against him, I'm not going to lie, I don't enjoy it as much as playing on the same team as him. It's a different feeling."

• Leading 4-0, Chychrun, playing on his 20th birthday, scored his fourth goal of the season with 20 seconds left in the second period.
"I've had a tough time scoring this year, so it's nice to see one go in, and on my birthday, too," Chychrun said.

• The Coyotes won 10 games in March for just the fifth time in franchise history.
"St. Louis is probably one of the hottest teams in the last month," Tocchet said. "That's why I'm proud of the guys. (Raanta) was terrific … I could go down the list (of players). They've bought in. I've got to give a lot of guys credit for that. It's easy when you're out of the playoffs to give up, and we haven't given up."

• Clayton Keller assisted on Panik's goal at 3:51 of the second period. He finished the month of March with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 17 games. That's a record for most points in a month by a Coyotes rookie.
• Derek Stepan notched two assists to reach a career-high 42 for the season.
• The Coyotes played minus Christian Dvorak, who missed his first game of the season because of a lower-body injury.
• Olympians Brianna Decker and Amanda Pelkey, who helped the Team USA women's team win the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game. They also chatted with Keller and Stepan, who've played for Team USA as well.