Karel Vejmelka’s 46 saves not enough as Coyotes fall at home to Flames

GLENDALE, Ariz (AP) — Christopher Tanev scored the go-ahead goal and had three assists, Blake Coleman scored twice and the Calgary Flames beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Wednesday night for their fifth win in six games.

Elias Lindholm also scored, and Jacob Markstrom had 24 saves for Calgary, which had 50 shots on goal. The Flames have won three straight.

Coleman opened the scoring three minutes into the game and added his second score for a 4-2 lead with eight minutes remaining.

Clayton Keller and Alex Galchenyuk scored for the Coyotes and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 46 saves, including a franchise-record 24 in the first period while facing a franchise-record 26 shots.

Keller, Arizona’s All-Star, added an assist and extended his points streak to six games, tying a career high. He has three goals and five assists during the streak.

Galchenyuk had his second goal in as many games, and he was the only scorer in the shootout in Coyotes’ 3-2 victory at Colorado on Tuesday, which snapped the Avalanche’s 10-game winning streak and 18-game home win streak.

Arizona had a two-man advantage for the final two minutes after pulling its goalie and a Calgary penalty, but could not score.

Coleman scored from the right circle less than three minutes into the game to give the Flames a 1-0 lead, scoring five seconds after the Coyotes killed off a slashing penalty on Lawson Crouse, who could not get back into the play.

Galchenyuk tied the game at 1-1 at 8:34 of the first period. He tipped in a wrist shot from Jacob Chychrun from the right point.

Lindholm made it 2-1 with 10 seconds remaining in the first period, flipping a wrist shot from the right circle in the far side after controlling Johnny Gaudreau’s pass from behind the net.

“The first period they were all over us. It was a grind,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “But the damage was done, in the sense they wore us down. ‘Veggie’ was rock solid. But we don’t kid ourselves, Calgary was dominant tonight.”

Keller’s quick wrist slot from the slot after a centering pass from Nick Schmaltz tied it at 2-2 less than five minutes into the second period.

Tanev gave the Flames a 3-2 lead at 15:15 of the third when his shot from the right point got through a screen by Andrew Mangiapane in front of the net and past Vejmelka.

“’Veggiei’ really kept us in and gave up a chance at the end,” Chychrun said.

“We were in it though, that’s all you can ask for. We had some looks at the end,” he added.

LOOSE PUCKS

– Arizona is 2-8 in the second game of back-to-backs.

– Calgary D Erik Gudbranson and Arizona F Liam O’Brien received five-minute penalties for fighting midway through the first period, squaring off after O’Brien checked Gudbranson into the boards behind the Calgary net.

Gudbranson immediately challenged O’Brien and two traded punches before Gudbranson knocked O’Brien to the ice and officials intervened. O’ Brien leads the league with 94 penalty minutes.

UP NEXT

The Coyotes get a little break before they travel to Vancouver to face off against the Cancucks.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.