Coyotes give up 5 goals to Sabres, drop third straight
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Evander Kane and the Buffalo Sabres are on a scoring spree.
Kane scored twice in the third period and Chad Johnson made 18 saves to help the Sabres beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Friday night.
Sam Reinhart, Jamie McGinn and Marcus Foligno also scored for Buffalo. The Sabres have had at least four goals in four straight games for the first time in nine seasons and have won three of their last four games.
"We're getting on teams' defense and we're staying on the puck," Kane said. "We're battling to create turnovers and I think there's an urgency and a hunger to put pucks away."
Prior to scoring 17 goals in their past four games, the Sabres had seven goals during a six-game losing streak.
"It seems like yesterday we were answering questions on if we're getting frustrated or not, so it's nice to have," Reinhart said. "One we get a couple, it comes in a wave, and hopefully we can continue for as long as possible and start building up."
Arizona has lost three in a row to begin a five-game trip. Max Domi scored both goals for the Coyotes, and Mike Smith made 23 saves.
The Coyotes have allowed five goals in each of their last three losses and in five of their last 10 games.
"What we are doing lately is not good enough," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "We have too many people playing below par."
Kane scored on a short-handed breakaway 2:40 into the third period for a 3-1 lead. It was the Sabres' first short-handed goal of the season. He later added an empty-net score and has four goals and two assists in his last three games.
Foligno made it 4-2 with 8:16 left after taking a pass from Nicolas Deslauriers behind the net, moving to the right side of the goal and slipping the puck behind Smith.
The Coyotes appeared to score 19 seconds later on a backhanded shot by Nicklas Grossman, but Sabres coach Dan Bylsma challenged the goal and replays revealed Arizona's Martin Hanzal interfered with Johnson.
The Sabres took control in the second period by putting 10 shots on net and scoring two goals in a 6:13 span.
Reinhart tied the game 7:17 into the period by collecting the rebound of Rasmus Ristolainen's shot, skating behind the net and bouncing the puck off Smith's back for his seventh goal of the season. With the assist, Ristolainen has 13 points, including 10 assists, in his last 13 games.
"Those two goals that are from below the goal line just can't go in," Smith said. "Giving up two goals like that, it's kind of deflating."
McGinn made it 2-1 with 6:27 left. In the neutral zone, he kicked Johnson's long pass over to Jack Eichel, and the rookie entered the zone before sending a backhand pass between two defenders back to McGinn for a straightaway one-timer. McGinn extended his points streak to four games, with two goals and four assists during that span.
"We did the small things right," McGinn said. "We're getting in those hard-nosed areas and they're starting to go in for us. I'm glad for everyone that we are getting rewarded right now."
Domi scored his second goal of the game and 10th of the season on a wrist shot from the left point that made it 3-2 6:42 into the third period.
Domi put the Coyotes up 1-0 with 5:32 left in the first. Hanzal sent a cross-ice pass to Domi streaking up the left side for a breakaway, and Domi skated in front of Johnson before flipping a backhand shot over the goaltender's glove.
The Coyotes were pleased with their first-period play, but couldn't sustain the effort over the remaining 40 minutes.
"When you are all over a team like that, you have to get on them and you have to keep going," Domi said. "As soon as you let them back in the game, the first doesn't mean much after that."
NOTES: The Sabres last scored four goals in four straight games when they had 30 goals over five consecutive contests from Feb. 20 to March 2, 2007. . Buffalo's last short-handed goal was scored by Brian Gionta on March 30 at Arizona. ... Coyotes captain Shane Doan missed his sixth straight game with a lower-body injury. The Coyotes also scratched D Connor Murphy and C Dustin Jeffrey. ... The Sabres scratched D Mike Weber. .. Reinhart, Domi and Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair were linemates on the Canadian team that won a gold medal at the 2015 World Junior Championships. This was their first NHL meeting. ... Sabres LW Matt Moulson played in his 500th career game.
