Kyle Palmieri and Patrick Maroon each scored a goal, and Ryan Kesler had two assists in the Anaheim Ducks' 2-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday night.
Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots for the Ducks, who extended their unbeaten streak against the Coyotes to seven games. The Western Conference-leading Ducks (13-4-5) also won in regulation for the first time in exactly three weeks.
Keith Yandle scored and Mike Smith made 25 saves for the Coyotes, who ended their three-game road trip in comically frustrating fashion. Smith lost his footing trying to play the puck behind his own goal in the second period, and teammate Zbynek Michalek landed on top of him.
They left a gaping net for Palmieri after Kesler collected the misplayed puck and calmly delivered it for the game's opening goal.
Barely three minutes later, Maroon knocked home the rebound off Sami Vatanen's thunderous shot from the point for the 2-0 advantage. Kesler won the faceoff and dropped the puck right back to Vatanen, giving him 11 assists this season.
Those two sequences were a stark reversal from the play that preceded it, with Smith making a number of decisive saves for the Coyotes (9-11-2) and the Ducks wasting their most promising scoring opportunities.
"It feels good. There is always improvement for my game. That’s just one game." -- @patmaroon postgame. #ARIvsANA https://t.co/TvnQS2w10I
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 24, 2014
After Yandle scored with 11:04 remaining, the Coyotes couldn't force overtime even with two late power plays. Shane Doan drew a holding penalty on a near-breakaway 46 seconds after Yandle's goal and Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin was called cross-checking with 36.6 seconds left.
Newly acquired forward Rene Bourque made his debut for the Ducks, who couldn't crack Smith on numerous scoring chances before his awkward tumble to the ice. Anaheim traded defenseman Bryan Allen to Montreal in exchange for Bourque, who skated largely on a line with Devante Smith-Pelly and Rickard Rakell.
Before the Ducks scored their two second-period goals, Corey Perry and Maroon had several whacks at the puck from close range early in the second period. Hampus Lindholm also couldn't follow up on a promising rebound off Smith-Pelly's blistering one-timer.
NOTES: Ducks D Clayton Stoner was held out with possible mumps symptoms and will undergo further evaluation. Perry and Beauchemin each previously missed five games with the virus, which is characterized by the swelling of salivary glands and flu-like symptoms including fever and aches. ... Mat Clark took Stoner's spot in the lineup. ... The Coyotes entered the game with the second-best power play on the road in the NHL this season at 27.8 percent, but did not score on any of their three opportunities with the man-advantage.
