18-02-2019, Saat: 07:07
GLENDALE www.officialflyersproshop.com , Ariz. (AP) — Brad Richardson and the Arizona Coyotes were tasked with trying to limit the productivity of the Colorado Avalanche’s high-scoring top line.They did just enough Saturday night, and Richardson provided the offense the Coyotes needed down the stretch, scoring twice in the final 3:39 in a 6-4 win over Colorado.Richardson’s ninth goal of the season broke a 4-all tie, and his empty-net goal was his 10th and gave him the team lead in scoring. The empty-netter came with 12 seconds left.“I just literally tried to shoot as quick as I could on that,” Richardson said of his first goal. “Went through two other guys. I don’t think the goalie saw it at all.”Derek Stepan, Christian Fischer and Richard Panik scored for Arizona, and Conor Garland added his first career NHL goal.Alexander Kerfoot scored twice, and Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon added goals for the Avalanche, who have lost three of four. J.T. Compher and Matt Nieto had two assists for Colorado, which entered in fourth place in the Western Conference.The Coyotes lost a three-goal lead in the third period as the Avalanche rallied with goals from Landeskog, Kerfoot and MacKinnon to make it 4-4. Landeskog and MacKinnon are part of Colorado’s 157-point No. 1 line that didn’t score a point until the third.“We had MacKinnon’s line kind of hemmed in quite a bit in their end,” Richardson said.“We defended well early,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “If there’s any guy you want to get the goal, for me, it’s ‘Richie’ because he shut down that line. That line is arguably the best line in hockey. He did a great job. That’s tough to do.”The Avalanche went with an extra attacker inside the final two minutes, but to no avail. The Coyotes put an end to a three-game losing streak.MacKinnon tied it at four with his 22nd of the season at 11:51 of the third. With intensity high, Landeskog and Arizona’s Lawson Crouse dropped gloves and exchanged blows.Both were given five minutes for fighting with 7:35 to play, Landeskog getting the better of the fight.It didn’t give the Avalanche momentum Philadelphia Flyers T-Shirts Authentic , however, as the Coyotes finished strong despite having lost seven of the previous eight games.“The third was not fancy, it wasn’t cute, it wasn’t east-west, it was all the things we wanted it to be,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “Up-tempo, physical, involved, passionate. That’s the way we have to play. That’s the way we were playing at the beginning of the year.”Panik gave the Coyotes a first-period lead with his left-handed wrister at 8:58. He scored off a pass from Stepan for his seventh goal of the season.Hill got his pad on Sven Andrighetto’s centering pass in deep, but the puck caromed right to Kerfoot, who stuffed in the rebound at 18:13 of the first to tie the game.It was Kerfoot’s first goal since Nov. 14.Clayton Keller fanned on a shot, but Stepan was nearby to shoot the puck past Philipp Grubauer with five seconds left in the period, and Arizona had momentum with a 2-1 lead to start the second period.The Coyotes’ third goal was almost all due to the handiwork of Nick Schmaltz, who handled the puck through defenders before passing, then got on the receiving end of another pass from Alex Galchenyuk that led to Schmaltz’s assist to Fischer.Fischer’s eighth goal at 2:30 of the second period gave the Coyotes a two-goal lead. Then Garland hustled to catch up to a long pass from Mario Kempe and beat Grubauer at 8:28.Grubauer, who had 12 saves, was then removed from net and replaced by Pavel Francouz, who at age 28 made his NHL debut.Francouz stopped 21 shots. Landeskog’s goal was his team-leading 24th of the season.“We left it all out there in the third Philadelphia Flyers Hoodies Authentic ,” Landeskog said. “If you ask me, I think we deserved more, but that’s the way it goes.”NOTES: Coyotes D Kevin Connauton was scratched for the second straight game. … D Ilya Lyubushkin recorded his first career NHL point with an assist on Garland’s goal. … The Avalanche called up C Sheldon Dries, Francouz and F A.J. Greer from Colorado of the AHL. Francouz was Grubauer’s backup goaltender with Semyon Varlamov out due to illness. Dries was scratched. … C Colin Wilson, hurt Friday in a loss to Chicago, was placed on injured reserve.UP NEXTColorado: At Vegas on Dec. 27.Arizona: At San Jose on Sunday. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The checklist for the Nashville Predators is getting shorter as the regular season winds down.Kyle Turris scored the only goal in the shootout to lift the Predators over the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Tuesday night to snap a three-game skid.The win clinched the defending Western Conference champions home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The franchise’s first Central Division title also is in reach, with Nashville leading Winnipeg by five points for both the top seed in the West and in the division with six games remaining apiece. Nashville wrapped up its division schedule by going 18-5-3.”We took another step closer tonight to achieving that goal and keep on getting wins, and finish as high as we can,” Predators forward Scott Hartnell said. ”It’s just been great efforts the whole year long, and especially tonight a big effort by everybody.”Nashville also moved three points ahead of Tampa Bay in the chase for the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Predators visit Tampa Bay on Sunday.Roman Josi scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 22 saves.Rinne turned away Nino Niederreiter in the shootout. Zach Parise’s attempt went wide left, and Rinne stopped Mikko Koivu to clinch it.”I thought it was our best game for a while now,” Josi said. ”I thought we played really well. I thought we played really well defensively, they didn’t have too many chances, and (Rinne) was there for us whenever they did have a chance. I thought it was a complete effort from us, and it’s good to be back in the win column.”Eric Staal tied it for Minnesota with 3:15 left on his 40th goal this season.Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves as Minnesota snapped a five-game point streak. The Wild still won the season series against Nashville, 3-2.”It was a great point Philadelphia Flyers Hats Authentic ,” said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau with Minnesota third in the Central and three points ahead of St. Louis. ”That’s, right now, they are the best team in the league, and we played them inch for inch.”The Predators thought they had scored 40 seconds into overtime on a slap shot by Ryan Ellis. Minnesota challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned on review because Turris’ right skate was a few inches ahead of the puck past the blue line.”I was right on the line on the bench and I figured it might be offside, but great job of still getting it done after,” Josi said of the erased goal.Rinne stopped Staal twice in overtime, and Mikael Granlund hit the far post with 1:07 left.Turris shot first for Nashville in the shootout, and he skated up before going across the slot and beating Dubnyk stick-side .Nashville returned home for three games mired in a skid that matched its longest this season. Playing in front of the 99th consecutive sold-out crowd didn’t hurt as the Predators improved to 26-8-4 in the place known as Smashville.The Predators came out throwing pucks at Dubnyk, and Josi put Nashville up 1-0 with a slap shot from the point off the faceoff that went under Dubnyk’s glove 2:51 into the game.Jordan Greenway made his NHL debut after finishing his college career at Boston University and signing a three-year entry level deal with Minnesota. Greenway was welcomed by a big check from Hartnell midway through the first period.”This is a tough game … for a young man’s career, but I thought he handled it well,” Boudreau said of Greenway.Nashville missed plenty of chances to pad its lead, going scoreless on four man advantages through the first two periods.Staal tied it by beating Rinne’s left skate inside the post.NOTES: Staal joined Gordie Howe as the only players to go at least nine years between 40-goal seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Howe went 12 seasons between his 44 goals in 1956-57 and 44 goals in 1968-69. Staal scored 40 in 2008-09, and this is his third 40-goal season. … Nashville won its most divisional games since also winning 18 in 2007-08. … Turris now has six goals on 13 shots in the shootout this season.UP NEXTWild: Host Dallas on Thursday night.Predators: Host Sharks on Thursday night.—