‘Yotes Notes: Keller’s records, Strome’s return, injury updates

Clayton Keller set two Coyotes rookie records in a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday at KeyBank Center. With an assist on Richard Panik’s third-period goal, Keller recorded his 55th point and 35th assist. The marks broke the previous records of 54 points (Peter Mueller, 2007-08) and 34 assists (Max Domi, 2015-16).

“It’s cool,” Keller told ArizonaCoyotes.com. “We’re playing really well right now and we want to keep this going and treat every game like it’s a playoff game. I think if we do that, we can carry on some momentum for next year.”

Keller added his 21st goal of the season (as well as his 36th assist and 57th point) in a 6-5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday. He needs one goal to tie Mueller’s rookie goal record of 22.

Keller’s 57 points lead the team and are the most since Ray Whitney had 77 and Radim Vrbata had 62 in 2011-12. Keller has pulled within one point of Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde for second place in the rookie scoring race. The New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal leads with 76.

Keller has nine points (three goals, six assists) in a seven-game point streak.

Last night, @ClaytonKeller37 became the 1st player in #Coyotes history to record 3 separate point streaks of 7 games or more in one season.

— Jeffrey Sanders (@JeSanders11) March 23, 2018

STROME SETTLES IN

Center Dylan Strome has a goal and an assist in the two games since he was recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.

“It feels good,” he said. “Obviously, you want to score, you want to help the team win. I’ve been having some success at the American league level and I’m just trying to translate it to here.”

INJURY UPDATES

Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson left the game against the Hurricanes in the second period with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

The Coyotes are already without defenseman Jason Demers, who will miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury he had been playing with recently until the Coyotes shut him down before this six-game road trip. General manager John Chayka declined to say if Demers would require a procedure.

“I think a player’s health is personal,” Chayka said. “He is out indefinitely.”

There was no update on center Laurent Dauphin (lower body) who is also out indefinitely. Dauphin has not played since March 7 at Vancouver.

LOOSE PUCKS

–Coyotes defensemen have accounted for 40 goals. That is tied for the sixth-most in the NHL and it is the third-most in the Western Conference. Here are the leaders: Nashville (49), Columbus (46), Philadelphia (44), St. Louis (43), Tampa Bay (42), Florida and Arizona (40).

–The Coyotes signed Harvard goalie Merrick Madsen on Tuesday to a two-year entry-level contract with an average annual value of $767,500. Madsen, 22, had a 10-10-3 record, a .918 save percentage, a 2.27 goals against average and three shutouts in 24 games with the Crimson. The Philadelphia Flyers selected Madsen in the sixth round (No. 162) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

–The Coyotes flew to south Florida after Thursday’s game and had the day off on Friday in Ft. Lauderdale.

Coyotes at Panthers

When: 4 p.m., Saturday

Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Fla.

TV: FOX Sports Arizona

Radio: ESPN 620 AM

Records: Panthers — 37-28-7. Coyotes — 25-38-11.

Season series: Panthers lead 1-0
Injury report: Panthers — None. Coyotes — F Laurent Dauphin (lower body) is out indefinitely. D Jason Demers (upper body) is out the rest of the season. D Niklas Hjalmarsson (lower body).

Panthers scouting report: The Panthers entered Friday’s games one point behind the New Jersey Devils for the final Eastern Conference wild card. … F Aleksander Barkov leads the team with 73 points (26 goals, 47 assists). F Vincent Trocheck leads the team with 28 goals. … Former Coyotes F Radim Vrbata has been a healthy scratch for the past seven games and is unlikely to play. Vrbata, who has five goals and 14 points, has played just 41 games this season after signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract last summer.

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