G Karel Vejmelka’s 31 saves not enough as Coyotes fall to Flyers on road

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sean Couturier broke a scoreless tie early in the third period and Carter Hart made 29 saves to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-0 victory over the winless Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night.

Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist and Scott Laughton also scored for the Flyers, who have won three of four.

Arizona (0-9-1) lost its 10th game to start the season and remains the only winless team in the NHL. The Coyotes, who dropped a club-record 11 in a row to begin the 2017-18 season, will look for their first victory when they wrap up a six-game trip on Friday at Anaheim. Arizona did pick up a point with a shootout loss to Buffalo on Oct. 16.

The 1943-44 Rangers set the NHL record, going 15 games without a win to start the season.

Karel Vejmelka made 31 saves in a strong performance for Arizona.

Couturier, playing in his 700th career game, gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead 6:54 into the third period. Giroux began the breakout with a long pass to Travis Konecny, who fired the puck to a wide-open Couturier in front of the crease. Couturier beat Vejmelka on the glove side with a one-timer for his fourth goal.

The Flyers scored on their 26th shot against the rookie Vejmelka, who was outstanding. Earlier in the period, Vejmelka made one of his many stellar stops of the game with a glove save on James van Riemsdyk.

Laughton made it 2-0 with 2:09 left, and Giroux added an empty-netter with an assist from Couturier.

Hart was steady between the pipes for Philadelphia, with one of his best stops coming late in the first period when he robbed Phil Kessel with his pads.

Philadelphia appeared to take a 1-0 lead with 7:14 left in the second period when Cam Atkinson’s shot from close range crossed the goal line. The referee signaled for a goal, but the officials convened and disallowed the goal after determining that Vejmelka had frozen the puck at the side of the net.

Atkinson nearly got on the board officially 4:30 minutes later, but his shot from the circle on the power play hit the post.

Vejmelka continued his stellar play in the second, with his glove save of Nicolas Aube-Kubel’s chance with 6:55 left in the period, one of his highlight stops.

The Coyotes nearly went ahead late in the first, but Barrett Hayton’s tip attempt from just outside the crease hit the post in the final seconds of the period.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Coyotes F Nick Schmaltz (upper body) missed his fourth straight contest and is expected to be out at least three weeks.

UP NEXT

The Coyotes finish the six-game road trip at Anaheim on Friday at 7 p.m.

Catch all the action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.