Rask scores OT winner to lead Hurricanes past Coyotes, 5-4
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Carolina Hurricanes' power play is producing, and with it have come good results.
The Hurricanes withstood Arizona's third-period rally for a 5-4 overtime win over the Coyotes on Saturday night. Carolina scored twice with the man advantage and has seven power-play goals in the last five games - including four wins.
Victor Rask's left-handed wrist shot 53 seconds into overtime was the winner against Arizona.
''The power play is what's changed things,'' coach Bill Peters said. ''Now those guys playing on the power play are starting to get some extra goals and points and it's spilled over into their 5-on-5 play and we're playing with a lead.''
Rask's goal came after the Coyotes' Connor Murphy scored with 15.7 seconds left in regulation to tie it. Seconds earlier, the Hurricanes' Elias Lindholm missed an empty net with Carolina up 4-3.
But Lindholm assisted on the winning goal, his third assist of the evening, while both teams were changing lines.
''I'm not sure if their guys were tired, I just know our guys were able to get off (the ice),'' Peters said. ''A good, patient play by Victor Rask.''
Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist, his goal a team-high 12th of the season. Faulk's goal came on the power play 40 seconds into the third period. Faulk has 13 assists and has tallied a point in four straight games.
''We're kind of starting to see the results. If we put in the work and work hard every night, good things happen,'' Faulk said.
Carolina goalie Eddie Lack stopped 25 shots a night after making 31 saves in a win at Anaheim, but he gave up two goals early in the third period that made the game closer. Anthony Duclair scored 1:23 into the period, his second goal of the game, and Kyle Chipchura put in a deflection moments later.
The Coyotes' offense surged after they trailed 3-1 through two periods.
''We battled back so we'll take the point,'' Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. ''That being said, there's some areas of the game that you'd like to do different. The penalties we took at the end of the first and second period were ill-advised.''
Carolina has two wins over Arizona in less than a week. The Hurricanes beat the Coyotes 5-4 at home last Sunday.
Kris Versteeg deflected a shot from Faulk that got by Coyotes goalie Anders Lindback high and wide at 8:37 of the first to open the scoring.
The Hurricanes had a chance to take an early lead when Jeff Skinner was pulled down on a breakaway by Murphy. But Skinner handled the puck for too long on his penalty shot and never got a clean attempt off, the puck poked away by Lindback at 5:16 of the first period.
Carolina added its second goal 4 seconds before the first-period buzzer on a power play. Andrej Nestrasil took Jordan Staal's pass and fired a shot past Lindback less than a minute after the Coyotes' Jordan Martinook went into the penalty box for delay of game.
Lindback, who made 28 saves, was playing his second straight game in place of injured starter Mike Smith.
The Hurricanes made it 3-0 when Skinner broke free with the puck going down the left side, then fed Phillip Di Giuseppe for a goal with 4:36 to go in the second period. Di Giuseppe has two goals seven days and five games into his NHL career.
The Coyotes' first goal came with 1:38 left in the second. Max Domi centered to Duclair for a quick wrister into the net. Duclair's 10 goals are tied for second-most on the Coyotes.
Domi had two assists and leads Arizona with 15 on the season.
The Coyotes welcomed back captain Shane Doan, who returned to the lineup and started after missing nine games due to a lower-body injury. Doan missed a breakaway chance early in the game and ended the second period in the penalty box for roughing, a power play which produced Faulk's goal. But Doan was there to deflect Nicklas Grossman's shot that came out to Chipchura and bumped Lindholm on the empty net try.
NOTES: Smith (lower-body injury) was placed on injured reserve to make room for Doan's return. Smith will get tests on his injury in the next few days, Tippett said. . ... Domi played with a sizable bruise under his right eye, the result of being hit with a puck in Friday night's game. ... D Zbynek Michalek was a healthy scratch, the third game he's missed this season. ... C Riley Nash and D Michal Jordan were scratches for Carolina. ... The Hurricanes are 37-29-8 all-time against the Coyotes with 20 wins in Arizona.
