Coyotes run point streak to five games with win over Islanders
Jan 22, 2018, 11:38 PM
Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta (32) dives to make a save as he gets defensive help from Coyotes right wing Christian Fischer (36) and Coyotes center Nick Cousins (25) against New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy (2) during overtime of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes defeated the Islanders 3-2. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — It’s one thing to make a New Year’s resolution. It’s quite another to keep it.
Through three weeks of 2018, the Arizona Coyotes have kept their promise of better play.
Nick Cousins scored his second goal of the game at 2:21 of overtime to give the Coyotes a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders at Gila River Arena on Monday. The Coyotes (12-28-9) have earned a point in seven of eight January games (3-1-4), and they are riding a five-game point streak (2-0-3), their longest of the season.
“Its been fun,” said Cousins, whose two goals were a single-game career high. “Since we turned the page here in 2018, we have all four lines contributing.”
Nothing will erase the first month of the season when Arizona started 0-10-1 to bury itself before it got its feet under it, but coach Rick Tocchet preached patience and adherence to his system. He is finally seeing results.
“I’ve been here three, four months just trying to find out what you have as a coach,” Tocchet said. “I feel guys are starting to [understand] what we’re trying to attain here but we’ve got a long way to go.
“The one thing we’ve got to do is we’ve got to expect to win. I hate hoping. I want to expect to win.”
Several factors have come together for the Coyotes this month. Their blue line is finally healthy all at once, allowing for better defensive zone play and quicker zone exits.
The players have a better understanding of Tocchet’s system, he has a better understanding of them, and goalie Antti Raanta is finally healthy and getting a chance to establish a rhythm.
Raanta made 32 saves Monday. He is 3-1-3 with 14 goals allowed in his past seven starts, and he has held opponents to two goals or fewer in six of his past seven starts.
“I feel good,” Raanta said. “The guys have been doing a great job in front of me. They’re blocking lots of shots, taking the sticks away. It’s a little bit different to play behind this team right now because everybody is dialed in.”
After Cousins and Anthony Beauvillier traded goals Monday, Brendan Perlini gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead at 9:52 of the second period when he defected Luke Schenn’s shot from the right point past Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak.
Perlini has a goal in three straight games and he has 13 this season. Arizona’s top three goal scorers (Clayton Keller and Christian Fischer are the others) are all 21 or younger.
“I’m trying to be around the net,” Perlini said. “If you look at a guy like [Sidney] Crosby, yeah he scores some unbelievable ones, but I’m sure he scores most of them all around the net. I’m trying to get better at that part of my game.”
Beauvillier tied the game 2-2 at 2:53 of the third period, but the Coyotes showed steadier nerves in the game’s late stretches than they had earlier this season.
Max Domi took a slashing penalty at 16:30 of the third period, but the Coyotes didn’t flinch.
Raanta made three consecutive saves in overtime, two on Leddy and one on John Tavares, just before Cousins’ game-winning goal on his backhand, off a pinpoint feed from Fischer in the high slot.
“That’s a prime-time goal,” Tocchet said.
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