Phil Kessel, Lane Pederson rally Coyotes to victory over Ducks
Apr 2, 2021, 10:07 PM
Arizona Coyotes' Lane Pederson, center, is congratulated for his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, April 2, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Phil Kessel got the tiebreaking goal 12 minutes into the third period, Lane Pederson scored in his NHL debut and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 Friday night.
Johan Larsson and Nick Schmaltz also scored for the Coyotes, who have won four of their last five games to move back into the final playoff spot in the West Division. Adin Hgoaill made 27 saves.
Alexander Volkov, who was playing his first game for Anaheim, and Jakob Silfverberg tallied Anaheim’s goals. Anthony Stolarz stopped 27 shots.
Kessel was credited with the go-ahead goal after his pass deflected off Volkov and into the Anaheim net to give the Coyotes a 3-2 lead. Schmlatz, who has a point in four straight games, provided some breathing room with three minutes remaining on a wrist shot from near the right faceoff circle.
Volkov scored with 3:53 remaining in the first period when he took Max Comtois’ pass in front of the crease and tapped it into the net. Volkov was acquired from Tampa Bay on March 24 but couldn’t make his debut until Friday due to a seven-day COVID quarantine.
Larsson tied it two minutes later when he raced up the right side of the Ducks’ zone and beat Stolarz high on his short side with a wrist shot.
The teams also traded goals in the second period after lucky bounces.
Silfverberg gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead less than five minutes into the period after the puck went off his right skate and into the net. Replay upheld the referee’s call that the forward did not make a distinct kicking motion to score the goal.
Pederson evened it midway through the second when he took advantage of Christian Dvorak’s pass into the zone taking a wild bounce off the corner board near the zamboni entrance. The puck found Pederson right on his stick near the goal and he slid it past Stolarz.
Pederson was undrafted and had spent the past three seasons with Arizona’s AHL affiliate before being called up.
INJURY REPORT
Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf suffered an upper body injury during the second period and did not return.
UP NEXT
The Ducks and Coyotes wrap up their season series on Sunday.
