Coyotes Fall to Jets at Mullett Arena on Sunday | NHL.com (2024)

STATS

Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther scored, and Karel Vejmelka made 31 saves, but the Arizona Coyotes fell 6-2 to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, Mark Scheifele, and Adam Lowry scored for the Jets, extending their point streak to 12 games and win streak to six.

Connor Hellebuyck made 15 saves to earn his 20th win of the season.

“We had a tough time staying with it,” head coach André Tourigny said. “They’re not just a really good team, they play the best hockey in the NHL. They’re really stingy, they have poise with the puck, and they make it really tough.”

Recap: Jets at Coyotes 1.7.24

Guenther’s goal came in his first appearance with the Coyotes this season after recording six goals and nine assists in 33 games last year. The 20-year-old has been a standout player for the Tucson Roadrunners this season in the AHL, leading the team with 28 points in 29 games.

He scored on a broken play in the third period, tucking the puck in from behind the net to make it 4-2 at 12:33 of the third period.

“I thought I skated well tonight, and I was kind of the beneficiary of that,” Guenther said. “I got into the game early. We had a good first shift. Got in on the forecheck, and I think that allowed me to get my nerves down and settle into the game.”

Tourigny agreed.

“He was really, really good,” he said. “He had a spark, he moved his feet, I think he was our best player.”

Forward Justin Kirkland also appeared in his first game with the Coyotes after playing seven with the Anaheim Ducks last season. The 27-year-old finished 6-of-8 in the faceoff circle while recording one shot on goal in 7:23 of ice time.

“It was a special day for me, my wife, and my family, finding out that I was playing,” Kirkland said. “It’s been a pretty hectic calendar year, a lot of adversity, and it was a very special and emotional night for me.”

Namestnikov opened the scoring at 17:16 of the first period, wristing onefrom in-close. Ehlers made it 2-0 3:53 into the second, one-timing a shot from the high slot past Vejmelka on a delayed penalty.

Schmaltz brought the Coyotes to within a goal at 8:10 of the middle frame with his 12th goal of the season, wristing a tough-angle shot past Hellebuyck to make it 2-1.

WPG@ARI: Schmaltz scores goal against Connor Hellebuyck

Perfetti answered at 14:04 of the period during a delayed penalty, though it was ultimately ruled to be an own goal after Guenther inadvertently poked the puck in as he battled to clear it off the goal line.

Scheifele scored on a breakaway 5:11 into the third period to make it 4-1, but Guenther answered back with his goal to cut Winnipeg’s lead back to two, but the Jets answered back with two unanswered to send the Coyotes to their third straight loss.

“There’s no need to feel sorry for ourselves,” Tourigny said. “We need to regroup, look ourselves in the mirror, be grown men, and make sure we man up.That’s what it is – there’s no one out there that’s going to feel sorry for [us], everybody is digging in for two points in this league.”

The Coyotes are back in action on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins in the fourth game of their five-game homestand. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm MST, and the game will be broadcast on the following networks:

WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 61.1 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95
• Phoenix Satellite: DirecTV Channel 61, Dish Network Channel 61
• Bullhead City / Lake Havasu: Optimum channel 6
• Flagstaff: American Cable channel 4, Optimum Cable channel 6
• Maricopa: Orbitel channel 11
• Pinal County: Mediacom channel 13
• Prescott: Sparklight channel 61
• Sedona: Optimum Cable channel 6
• Show Low / Winslow Sparklight channel 61
• Tucson: Cox channel 85, Xfinity channel 1179, Orbitel channel 208

WHERE TO LISTEN:
• Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona Sports
• Stream: Arizona Coyotes App, NHL Mobile App