Coyotes Game 20 Recap: Coyotes Fall in a Matinee Matchup

The Arizona Coyotes couldn’t complete the comeback and fall 4-3 to Minnesota Wild.

Game Recap

For the first time since the 17th, the Arizona Coyotes finish their game without a point. The Coyotes couldn’t overcome the Minnesota Wild and fell 4-3 in regulation.

The Coyotes had another slow start, although thankfully one without penalties. But after outshooting the Yotes from the beginning, the Wild got on the board early, with Kirill Kaprizov getting his 13th goal of the season. The Coyotes gave the puck away at their own blue line, and Joel Eriksson Ek got it to Kirill Kaprizov, who fired it past Connor Ingram to make it 1-0 Wild.

The Wild maintained control throughout the opening frame and even got a power play when Jack McBain was sent to the box for hooking 13 and half minutes in. However, the Coyotes killed that penalty, and the first period ended with a 1-0 Wild lead.

The Coyotes got a golden opportunity early in the second period, but penalties prevented them from tying it up. Marcus Foligno and Liam O’Brien dropped the gloves just under two minutes in, and Foligno was enraged at the extra roughing call. The referees sent him to the box and gave him an additional unsportsmanlike call after he argued against the call, and the Yotes had a four-minute power play.

Unfortunately, Travis Boyd was sent to the box for slashing two minutes in, and Sam Steel got an early 4-on-4 goal. The Coyotes went from an excellent early chance to falling behind 2-0.

But as we have seen multiple times this season, the Coyotes refused to die. Late in the middle frame, the Coyotes got on the board, with Nick Schmaltz firing the puck from the top of the circles to make it 2-1.

Shayne Gostisbehere and Clayton Keller assisted on the goal, and the second period ended with the Coyotes in a good position to mount a comeback.

Unfortunately, the first period started horribly. Jared Spurgeon gave the Wild another two-goal lead when his shot redirected off Boyd past Ingram to make it 3-1 just 36 seconds into the period.

Things went from bad to worse when Clayton Keller went to the box five minutes into the final frame. Halfway through the Wild power play, Kaprizov found a wide-open Matt Boldy, who fired it past Ingram to make it 4-1.

The Coyotes didn’t go down without a fight though. Three-quarters of the way through the third period, the Yotes got their second of the night when Lawson Crouse fired a rocket past Fleury.

Matias Maccelli got the lone assist after sitting for two games, and it looked like the Coyotes were going to make things interesting.

The Yotes continued to push, and 90 seconds later, they got their third of the game, with J.J. Moser getting his third of the season.

Nick Bjugstad and Matias Maccelli assisted on the goal, and the Coyotes were within one with just under two minutes left.

Unfortunately, the comeback ended there. The Yotes couldn’t get the equalizer, and the game ended 4-3 Minnesota. It was a great comeback effort, and the Coyotes continued to finish strong, but they couldn’t overcome the Wild’s three-goal lead.

Lines

Three Stars

1. Kirill Kaprizov – Goal and two assists
2. Joel Eriksson Ek – Two assists
3. Matias Maccelli – Two assists

Next Game

The Coyotes will have most of the week off before they face off against the Los Angeles Kings this Thursday at 8:30 pm Arizona time.