Boyd scores twice, Coyotes beat Canucks 3-2
By John Marshall, The Associated Press on March 16, 2023.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) – Travis Boyd scored twice, Ivan Prosvetov stopped 29 shots and the Arizona Coyotes stretched their points streak to six games with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Prosvetov helped the Coyotes withstand a string of early penalties in his second start this season and Boyd had his second multi-goal game this month after going five seasons without one. Lawson Crouse also scored to help stretch Arizona’s home winning streak to five straight games. The Coyotes are 5-0-2 since losing to Carolina on March 3. Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist, and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the second straight game. Thatcher Demko had 24 saves for the Canucks, who had their five-game winning streak end. Prosvetov was sharp on short notice his first start of the season, turning away 39 shots in a win over Nashville on March 9 after learning he had been recalled from Tucson of the AHL just before noon. The Russian rookie stood little chance of stopping the puck when Coyotes defenseman Michael Kesserling made a bad pass in his own end midway through the first period. Kuzmenko, the NHL’s most accurate shooter at 27.3%, finished off the tic-tac-toe passing from Pettersson and Anthony Beauvillier just outside the crease. The Coyotes gathered some steam after a penalty-filled first period, including Zack Kassian’s game misconduct, and tied it on Boyd’s wrister from the left circle with 30 seconds left. Boyd scored on a power play in the second period, juking his way around Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers and slipping a shot between Demko’s pads. The Canucks committed another penalty early in the third period and Crouse cashed in, flipping in a sharp-angle shot over Demko’s stick shoulder. Vancouver turned up the pressure after that and Pettersson beat Prosvetov from the left circle to make it 3-2. Prosvetov made a couple of late saves after the Canucks pulled Demko for an extra attacker to preserve the win. NOTES: Coyotes F Nick Schmaltz missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. Vancouver signed F Aidan McDonough to a two-year, entry-level contract. He’s spent the last four years at Northeastern and was drafted by the Canucks in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL draft. … Arizona recalled F Bokondji Imama from Tucson.. … Arizona’s Clayton Keller had an assist on Boyd’s second goal to extend his points streak to seven games (6-7-12). UP NEXT Vancouver: At Los Angeles on Saturday night. Arizona: Hosts Chicago on Saturday night. __ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports 17-16
