Noel Acciari stays hot, but Panthers fall at home to Coyotes 5-2
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — When the Arizona Coyotes hit the road, they feel right at home.
Taylor Hall scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and the Coyotes won their fourth straight game, 5-2 over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
Arizona is 14-6-3 on the road and will play three of the next five away from home.
“We’re looking to keep the game close and find our traction as we go on,” Hall said. “They’re a great offensive team and for us to hold them to two goals is huge. That’s kind of our game plan. It’s important to establish that on this road trip.”
Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a goal and two assists, and Lawson Crouse, Carl Soderberg and Christian Dvorak also scored for the Coyotes. Phil Kessel added two assists and Adin Hill stopped 37 shots in his first start of the season.
“I felt good. I guess I saw a lot of pucks,” Hill said. “The guys did a great job locking it down for me for the first game.”
Mike Hoffman and Noel Acciari had the goals for the Panthers. Chris Driedger made 32 saves in his second consecutive start.
Hall’s power-play goal, a shot from the right circle that went over Driedger, gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead at 15:39 of the second.
“Hall’s got a pretty deceptive release,” Driedger said. “He got me on the power-play goal there. I just tried to stay with him (on the breakaway) as long as I could and he tried to beat me five-hole and I was lucky to get a stick on it.”
Soderberg’s goal from in front with 1:59 left in the third stretched it to 4-2. Crouse added an empty-netter in the final minute.
All five goals in the second period came during a span of 5:19.
Arizona tied it 2-all on the goal by Ekman-Larsson. Derek Stepan passed from the high slot to Ekman-Larsson in the left circle and his shot beat Driedger at 13:33.
“It was just like a workman kind of game,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “We defended really well at the end. There were a lot of guys who contributed tonight.”
After trailing 1-0, the Panthers scored twice in 36 seconds. They tied the game when Acciari redirected a shot from the point by Keith Yandle at 11:21. Hoffman gave Florida a 2-1 lead when he fired a shot from the left circle past Hill at 11:57.
“A disappointing game,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’re up 2-1 and we give up two quick ones and that changed the whole complexion of the game.”
The Panthers are struggling to keep pace in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
“I think everybody's pretty well in that mix across the board,” Quenneville said. “It's going to make for a great run here. Obviously, this was not what we were looking for.”
The Coyotes went ahead 1-0 on Dvorak’s power-play goal. Hall shot from the right circle and the puck deflected off Dvorak’s stick in front with 9:40 left in the second. The goal was reviewed for a possible high stick, but the call stood.
NOTES: Coyotes G Antti Raanta is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. G Ivan Prosvetov, who has never played an NHL game, was called up from AHL Tucson last Sunday. ... The Panthers played the first of a four-game homestand.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
Panthers: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
