Late goal completes Dallas Stars’ comeback over Arizona Coyotes: By the Numbers

It was a heated contest Tuesday between two struggling Western Conference teams.

The Arizona Coyotes hosted the Dallas Stars at Gila River Arena, and the two clubs were swinging at each other from the get-go.

Although the Stars were literally ready to duke it out, the Coyotes were the only ones on the scoreboard for quite some time.

Arizona scored the first two goals of the game, thanks to unusual suspects like Connor Murphy and Joe Vitale, and had a comfortable lead until the last couple of minutes of the second period. That’s when Stars center Tyler Seguin scored two goals within a minute, and the two foes went into the second intermission tied.

Dallas then went ahead about 15 minutes into the final period, but Arizona turned around and tied it up moments later.

But, it was a heartbreaker for the home team, as the Stars got the last laugh with a shorthanded goal with just over a minute left to play. Dallas emerged by a final of 4-3, handing Arizona its second-straight loss.

Dallas now has 14 points in the standings with a 5-6-4 record, while Arizona (6-8-1) failed to improve on its 13-point mark.

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s contest by the numbers:

1:42

Murphy, a 21-year-old defenseman, scored the quickest goal to start out a game for the Coyotes this season, as he connected with an unassisted wrist shot just 1:42 into the contest. It was Murphy’s second goal of the year, and just the third of his young career.

5

Goaltender Mike Smith started out well but ended up allowing four goals, the fifth time this season he’s given up that many or more. The 32-year-old goalie stopped 28 of the 32 shots — an .875 save percentage — that came his way Tuesday, but his record fell to 4-8 on the year.

6

It took all of six seconds for the first fight to break out, as Jaimie Benn and Martin Hanzal threw down their gloves. The first period was rife with fist fights, and the two teams combined for 40 minutes in the box on the night — Dallas with 22 and Arizona with 18.

7

The Stars had a seven-game winless streak entering Tuesday’s game, but their third-period heroics put an end to that skid.

11

Left wing Mikkel Boedker put in the Coyotes’ third and final goal of the game, assisted by Michael Stone and Lauri Korpikoski, ending an 11-game personal drought. The 24-year-old Denmark native still leads the team with six goals.

13

The Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers both lost Tuesday, meaning they are tied for last in the Pacific division with 13 points.

199

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett is still looking for his 200th win with the franchise. In his sixth year at the helm, he now has a 199-134-58 record. He is the winningest and longest-tenured coach for the franchise since it moved to Arizona.

11/30/3013

Vitale was responsible for the Coyotes’ second goal of the game, assisted by Murphy and Kyle Chipchura. Vitale, a 29-year-old center, hadn’t put the puck in the net since Nov. 30, 2013, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.