St. Louis Blues punish Arizona Coyotes on power plays: By the Numbers

That wasn’t the way you want to close out a homestand.

Three home games in a row helped the Arizona Coyotes get off to their first 2-1 start since 2009, but the homestand finale did not go so well Saturday night.

The St. Louis Blues came into town and were clearly more aggressive from the start, dominating the Coyotes in shots on goal all night.

Although St. Louis recorded the only goal of the first period, the visitors’ relentless ways eventually turned the game into a laugher.

The offensive onslaught proved to be too much for Mike Smith and the Coyotes, and the Blues won comfortably by a 6-1 margin at Gila River Arena.

The Coyotes remained in second-to-last place in the Pacific division with the loss, while St. Louis, now boasting five points, moved into the middle of the pack in the Central division.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s lopsided game by the numbers:

3

Arizona won its first meeting with the Blues last year — who finished with the third-most points in the Western Conference standings — but lost in the final two matchups. Saturday’s result marks the Coyotes’ third loss in a row to St. Louis. The two teams will face each other twice more this season, with the next meeting scheduled for Jan. 6, 2015.

4 (part I)

Veteran Shane Doan picked up his fourth assist of the year with an outstanding behind-the-net pass to Lauri Korpikoski in the third period, which marked the Coyotes’ lone goal of the game. The captain is now tied with Keith Yandle for most assists on the team. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also was credited with an assist, his second of the year, on Korpikoski’s goal.

4 (part II)

Coyotes left wing Mikkel Boedker recorded the first hat trick of the year for the team on Wednesday night, but Arizona allowed an opponent to reach the same feat one game later. Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz baffled Coyotes defenders for his second, third and fourth goals of the year in Saturday’s contest. Meanwhile, Boedker failed to score a goal for the first time this season.

9

In the Coyotes’ two losses, they have been outscored by a total of nine goals, as both the Blues and the Winnipeg Jets put up six apiece on the Desert Dogs, both with Smith manning the net.

10

Arizona began the season with 10 straight power play kills, but that all ended on the Blues’ first score of the game, a wrist shot by center David Backes. The Coyotes’ efficiency while being shorthanded became a distant memory as St. Louis went a perfect 4-for-4 on power plays on the night. Arizona, meanwhile, went 1-for-4 with a man advantage on Saturday.

11 (part I)

Going back to last season, opponents have scored the first goal of the game on the Coyotes in 11 straight contests.

11 (part II)

There was a noticeable disparity in giveaways Saturday night, with the Coyotes losing that battle 11-4.

36

The final score reflected how many more shots on goal the Blues took than the Coyotes. St. Louis sent 36 shots Smith’s way — the most he’s faced in three starts this season — while Arizona only got off 25 shots at Jake Allen. St. Louis got four shots on goal before Arizona even got one, and the Blues finished the first period with a 15-7 advantage.

March 13, 2014

Korpikoski’s score on a power play was his first of the campaign, and his first since mid-March of last season. The 28-year-old left winger had nine goals last year in 64 games played. Saturday’s goal also marked his first point of the year.