Arizona 5, Montreal 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 15, 2018
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Ian Walsh, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen:
Shane Heyer, Lonnie Cameron
Attendance:
11489
By Field Level Media
Brendan Perlini scored two goals, including the winner, just 19 seconds apart, and rookie Clayton Keller provided a goal and three assists as the Arizona Coyotes beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Perlini's two tallies came early in the second period as the Coyotes, who rank last overall in the 31-team National Hockey League, won their second consecutive game. The Canadiens, a long shot to make the playoffs, took their second loss in two nights.
Tobias Rieder and Josh Archibald also scored for the Coyotes, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson furnished three assists.
Brendan Gallager and Daniel Carr scored for the Canadiens.
The Coyotes scored on their two power plays while the Canadiens went 1-for-3 in man-advantage situations.
Coyotes goaltender Aanti Raanta posted his 11th win of the season while stopping 34 shots as the Canadiens outshot Arizona 36-21.
Habs goaltender Carey Price took his first loss in 10 career games against the Coyotes, recording 16 saves.
The Coyotes swept their two-game season series with Montreal after also beating the Canadiens in Canada in November.
The Canadiens entered the game looking for a better result after being shut out one night earlier -- for the eighth time this season -- during a visit to Colorado. However, Keller put the Coyotes on the scoreboard first during a power play 13:56 into the game, deflecting Ekman-Larsson's shot past Price.
Perlini put the Coyotes ahead 3-0 with his two quick goals 1:16 into the second period, when defensive miscues hurt the Habs. His first goal came on a slap shot at the 57-second mark as he wired home Keller's pass from the corner. With the crowd still buzzing, Perlini beat Price on a breakaway after taking a lead pass from Ekman-Larsson.
Gallagher's power-play goal reduced Arizona's lead to 3-1 at 5:46 of the third period. Less than two minutes later, Carr pulled the Canadiens within a goal on a wrist shot. However, the Coyotes snuffed the comeback threat with goals by Rieder, on the power play at 10:46, and Archibald at 16:01.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Montreal |
|
Arizona |
|
Daniel Carr 1 |
Points |
Clayton Keller 4 |
|
Daniel Carr 1 |
Goals |
Brendan Perlini 2 |
|
Alex Galchenyuk 1 |
Assists |
Clayton Keller 3 |
|
Brendan Gallagher 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Clayton Keller 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Carey Price .762 |
Save Percentage |
Antti Raanta .944 |
|
Carey Price 16 |
Saves |
Antti Raanta 34 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Montreal
|
36 |
2 |
1-3 |
0-2 |
6 |
28 |
| Arizona
|
21 |
5 |
2-2 |
2-3 |
8 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Arizona will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .312 after a win and .262 after a loss.
-
Montreal will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .478 after a win and .324 after a loss.