There are not enough words to describe what transpired on Friday’s game between the Arizona Coyotes and the Vegas Golden Knights at Mullet Arena. Going into the third period, the Coyotes were down 4-1. Six unanswered goals later, the team found itself with a 7-4 win. It was an incredible ending to a long seven-game home stretch. Here are the takeaways from Friday night.
Michael Carcone Finally Gets His 20th
Michael Carcone has been snakebit for a while. He had been sitting on 19 total goals since March 14 in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. He’s had some good chances throughout the past month but has failed to register a goal or a point since that game. Friday night, that all changed.
Carcone deposited the puck behind Logan Thompson for the game-tying goal, which made the score 4-4. That would be his 20th goal of the season, a benchmark for most players. Carcone had never been a regular in the Coyotes’ lineup until this season, so to get 20 goals in a season was a pretty remarkable accomplishment for the undrafted Canadian.
“It was pretty surreal,” Carcone said. “Got a bit emotional there on the bench. It was a good feeling. I’m just glad it’s out of the way. I’m gonna move on. I’m just happy we got the win, to be honest.”
Carcone scored his second goal of the game and his 21st of the season later in the third period when an innocent-looking shot deflected off a Knights’ player and into the net. His goal gave the Coyotes the lead for the first time since the early stages of the second period and eventually became the game-winning goal.
Carcone has been a feel-good story for the Coyotes this season. The forward was undrafted and bounced around the league a bit until ending up with the Tuscon Roadrunners. Carcone scored 85 points last season with the Roadrunners and was the league’s top scorer. His play earned him an NHL contract, and he’s thrived at points of the season. With two more goals and the 20-goal plateau reached, head coach Andre Tourigny is glad to see him back on track.
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“I think since last month, he’s had a much different effort defensively,” Tourigny said. “I’m really happy about the way he played. Obviously, his line was not clicking in the last couple of games, but it’s not a lack of effort. I will say prior to the last five games, they were playing really well. Then the last five, I think not because they weren’t working but for whatever reason, they were not clicking as much. I liked that line, what they have, the attributes they have, and Carcs is a big part of it because he has that offense in him and the way he works now defensively on the track and stuff like that. He helped us all the time when he was on the ice, and I’m glad that line produced tonight.”
With Carcone hitting 20 goals, he joins the four other Coyotes players who have scored 20 this season. Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz, and Nick Bjugstad are the other forwards who make up that group. These goals tie the franchise record for the most amount of 20 goal scorers in a single season. Logan Cooley also scored in the game on Friday, bringing his total to 18. With seven more games left in the season, the rookie has plenty of time to score two more goals to break the franchise record.
The Call That Changed the Game
After Carcone scored his first of the game to tie it, the Coyotes looked unstoppable. Then, Alec Martinez scored from the faceoff circle and seemingly gave the Golden Knights the lead again. However, video coach Hunter Cherni saw a flaw in the goal. The Coyotes challenged for offsides, and eventually, the call went the Coyotes’ way.
Cherni has been incredible in video reviews. He is perfect at challenging goals for offsides and near perfect at challenging every other category. Carcone might’ve scored the game-winning goal, but Cherni was instrumental in keeping the Coyotes rolling.
“On offsides, he’s perfect,” Tourigny said. “He’s elite. The people don’t know him, but he’s a real student of the game. He’s really pro. He does his job really well. I think he’s doing a really good job for us. We’re confident with him. I have to be honest, I spend zero time reviewing those things because I know it’s in good hands. I know Hunter has this so I don’t have to be worried when he tells me to challenge. He has 100% of the credit.”
Cherni has been pivotal to some of the Coyotes’ biggest wins of the season, and his fingerprints are all over Friday’s win. He’s been arguably one of the best video coaches in the league, and it shows in this win.
The Comeback Coyotes
There was no guessing that the Coyotes would come back and win against the defending Stanley Cup champions, let alone score six unanswered goals. Yet they did just that. They also made some history. First, they scored three goals in 1:07, the fastest three goals scored in franchise history. Then, to complete the comeback, they scored six goals in the third period, tying for the most in a single period.
It was impressive for the team that struggled to score goals just two days ago against the Vancouver Canucks. Call it Mullett magic. Call them the comeback Coyotes. Whatever happened in the third period on Friday was remarkable.
“The second period was dreadful for us,” Josh Brown said. “That wasn’t our best period, so we just came in here and talked about it. We needed to get back to our game plan and we just kind of rolled everything over the bench and just kept on going. You get to play a little looser when you’re the underdog like that in a game. So, like, we just stayed loose and stuck with it. Like the cliche, just get pucks in and go to work. I think we did a good job of that.”
Brown was part of the Coyotes’ six-goal third-period party. His quick shot from the blue line went bar down and past Thompson. It was Brown’s second goal of the season.
Josh Doan scored in the game, bringing his goal total to three in the five games he’s played this season. He’s now up to six points in the short time he’s played with the Coyotes. While Tourigny has seen a lot in his time coaching, and he can’t say he’s impressed, he’s really liked how Doan has impacted his team both on and off the ice.
“I like Doaner since I know him,” Tourigny said. “I like his hockey sounds. I think what I really like about him is what he brings to our lineup. Good forecheck, a really good stick. He goes at the net and plays the game the right way. He works every day. I think he’s the kind of player we needed, and that’s the kind of player inside our room with the management we’re talking that’s the kind of player we are looking for, and he proved us right. He fits right in, and I think he was a really good player for us tonight. I’m not talking about his goal. I’m talking about a lot of things. He blocked shots, he had a good stick on the forecheck, he went to the net, and he had a presence. I really liked the way he played.”
The 7-4 win ends the seven-game homestand on a high note. The Coyotes leave Mullett Arena with a 4-3 record in the extended homestand. It’s worth noting that the Coyotes played five teams that will play in the playoffs. It’s a good way to send off your home fans for the next two weeks while the team goes on their season’s final road trip.
The Coyotes will play the San Jose Sharks on Sunday in San Jose. The Sharks are 17-50-8 this season and are eighth in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes will return to Mullett Arena against the Edmonton Oilers on April 17 for the final home game of the season.