ARIZONA COYOTES
Jakob Chychrun scores twice as Coyotes beat Wild
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) celebrates with defenseman J.J. Moser (90) and right wing Clayton Keller after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild in the second period during an NHL hockey game, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
TEMPE, Ariz. — Jakob Chychrun had two goals, Jack McBain scored the tie-breaking goal on a breakaway with seven minutes remaining and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Monday night.
McBain put a back-hander past Marc-Andre Fleury moments after the Coyotes killed off an abbreviated 55-second power play. Karel Vejmelka had 33 saves for his career-best third straight victory.
Jonas Brodin gave the Wild a 2-1 lead 1:40 into the third period on a wrist shot from the left circle through a screen in front before Chychrun tied it at 2-2 with his second goal of the game at 9:35.
Kirill Kaprizov also scored for the Wild and Fleury had 33 saves for the Wild, who had won two straight and five of eight. The Coyotes are 4-3-1 in their last eight games.
The Coyotes killed off a two-minute penalty with 2:34 left in the game, and the Wild put six skaters on the ice for the final 1:13.
Kaprizov broke the scoreless tie with his 28th goal at 3:39 of the second period. He took a cross-ice pass from Mats Zuccarello and hit an open side for a 1-0 lead. Vejmelka, who had shutouts in his last two starts, extended his scoreless streak to 114:11 before the goal.
Chychrun tied it at 1-1 on a power-play goal midway through the second period, when he roofed a wrist shot from the slot over Fleury after a centering pass from Barrett Hayton.
Each team played its first game in nine days, and it showed early in a scoreless first period. The Coyotes had 14 of the 19 shots in the period and the best chances. Fleury made point-blank saves on Hayton nine minutes into the game and on Lawson Crouse with three minutes remaining in the period.
NOTES: Fleury, who still wears gold pads, glove and blocker, played in his 971st game, tying Terry Sawchuk for the fourth-most appearances by a goaltender in NHL history. Fleury has started four straight. … The Coyotes played their only home game in 18 days and will take a 16-game road winless streak into a three-game trip to Chicago, St. Louis and Nashville that begins Friday. … Coyotes F Jean-Sebastien Dea was recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League and F Dylan Guenther was assigned to Seattle of the Western Hockey League. … Coyotes F Liam O’Brien (hand) has returned to practice but did not play, missing his 23rd straight game. … The Wild scratched D Alex Goligoski and F Mason Shaw.
UP NEXT
Wild: At Dallas on Wednesday.
Coyotes: At Chicago on Friday.
