Nearing the midpoint of the season, the Arizona Coyotes are still perceived by many as a surprise squad, holding the Western Conference’s top wild-card spot despite playing in a powerful Central Division.
The Coyotes head into their road game Friday with the Anaheim Ducks after gaining even more respect following Arizona’s incredible comeback victory over the division-leading Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
The Coyotes stunned the Avalanche by scoring five unanswered goals, three in the third period, en route to a 5-4 overtime win in the second half of a home-and-home set that bookended the holiday break.
“It was a good character win for us,” said Jack McBain, who scored the overtime winner. “They’re a really good team, and to get down to them 4-0 is really tough to come back from, but we stuck in there … it was an amazing comeback.”
“Once we got the momentum, we just kept pushing,” forward Jason Zucker said. “We did a great job of staying on them and not letting them breathe.”
Amazingly, the Coyotes, who have won five of six games, have won their past two home games with multi-goal comebacks. The Coyotes erased a 3-0 deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Dec. 19.
“The boys have a lot of pride, and they compete every day, (even) in practice,” coach Andre Tourigny said. “That’s in their DNA. They never quit.”
The Ducks are also coming off an impressive victory, beating the defending Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 on Wednesday.
Anaheim snapped a two-game losing skid by jumping out to a 4-0 first-period lead and making it hold up.
“We have a good team here,” said forward Brett Leason, who posted his first career two-goal game in the win. “I think we can get some wins. We’ve been a bit unlucky with some (losses), lots of one-goal defeats, but I think we’re a good team and we can compete.”
The Ducks lost the first two outings in an eight-game homestand but found a much-needed jolt right from the start Wednesday.
“First shift, we started in their zone and started strong,” said Leason, who opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game. “This goalie was kind of shaky so we were just firing pucks and I think everyone was just playing as a team, playing fast and playing smart, and it’s tough to stop that.”
While Leason, Mason McTavish (three assists) and Cam Fowler (two assists) were the offensive stars, a total of 11 Ducks found the scoresheet.
Just as important as the early lead was how the Ducks held strong while the Golden Knights mounted a comeback attempt. Vegas scored twice in the second period, but Anaheim and goaltender John Gibson held firm, a big deal for a team with only four wins in its last 19 outings.
“It was kind of a bend-don’t-break thing,” coach Greg Cronin said. “It never felt comfortable, even though it was 5-2 with two minutes to go.”
–Field Level Media