The Arizona Coyotes will look to build off an impressive come-from-behind victory over the Vegas Golden Knights when they travel to San Jose to visit the Sharks on Sunday. The Coyotes erased a 4-1 third-period deficit, scoring six unanswered goals in the final frame to top the Golden Knights 7-4 on Friday.
“You have to play a little looser when you’re the underdog in a game like that,” Coyotes defenseman Josh Brown said. “We stayed loose, we stuck with it, and we started getting pucks in and getting to work. They’re the defending Stanley Cup champions, and they’re a measuring stick for us.” Michael Carcone led the way with two goals, while Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller had two assists each for the Coyotes (32-39-5, 69 points). Keller extended his point streak to 10 games (seven goals, nine assists).
Center Logan Cooley, who had a goal in Friday’s win, has five tallies over his past four games.
“We played a good game. I did not like our second period; that’s an easy call. I did not like our mindset. Mistakes will happen, but I did not like our mindset,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “I think our first period was fantastic even if we did not score. I thought we had plenty of opportunity to score, we played the right way: applied pressure, defended hard, and the third period speaks for itself.”
Arizona won for the sixth time in 10 games (6-4-0) and improved to 21-19-0 on home ice. Goaltender Connor Ingram is 20-20-3 this season with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
The Coyotes travel to the Bay Area on Sunday looking for the season series sweep against the Sharks. Arizona has won both previous meetings — 1-0 on Dec. 15 in the desert, and 5-2 on Dec. 21 at San Jose.
The Sharks (18-50-8, 44 points) are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
Forward William Eklund scored his first career hat trick as the Sharks won for just the second time in 13 games (2-10-1) — both against the Blues. Eklund has three goals and three assists over his past four games.
Forward Fabian Zetterlund has a goal and three assists in the past four games, and goaltender Devin Cooley made 34 saves against the Blues for his first NHL win.
A free-agent signing by the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason, Cooley was dealt to the Sharks at last month’s trade deadline for a seventh-round draft pick. He was 0-1-1 in two starts with the Sharks entering Saturday’s contest.
Cooley, from nearby Los Gatos, got the first victory in front of friends and family at the SAP Center.
“It was incredible. I was getting a little bit emotional. It’s unbelievable,” Cooley said. “I love being here; it’s great being home.
“(The team) did such an amazing job, the team was so dialed tonight. I’m really glad I could make the saves that I know I can make and to get a win out of it.”
San Jose, last in the Western Conference, is 11-23-4 at home this season.
Goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, expected to start Sunday, is 10-23-3 this season with a 3.38 GAA and a .901 save percentage. He was in net for the Dec. 21 loss.
