Taking multiple penalties in the first half of the game, the Arizona Coyotes struggled to create much offense as they lost 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Nov. 9.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Two nights ago, the Coyotes beat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in a shootout on Nov. 7.
On the other hand, St. Louis were coming off 0f a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Previously, Arizona destroyed the Blues 6-2 on Oct. 19 which was the last time these two teams played.
After being embarrassed before, St. Louis were finishing a four-game home stand as they looked to get revenge and move up the standings.
In contrast, the ‘Yotes knew that and were aimed to maintain their strong start to the season.
Throughout the game, too many times on the penalty kill early came back to bite Arizona when trying to make a comeback late.
First Period
The Coyotes gave up a goal within the first minute against the Kraken off of a defensive miscue.
Tonight, the ‘Yotes were dealt with an unfortunate sequence early.
As the puck was moving to the left, one of the referee’s tripped on it.
Then, Blues left wing Sammy Blais grabbed it as the ref fell and took a shot towards the chest of Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka.
Suddenly, St. Louis center Oskar Sundqvist tapped home the rebound to put his team up 1-0 2:16 into the game.
Until there was 4:16 left on the clock in the period, Arizona only had two shots on net.
However, the next one would change the score.
First, St. Louis center Robert Thomas would hook Coyotes right wing Nick Schmaltz to send Arizona to a power-play.
As the man-advantage was expiring, ‘Yotes left wing Clayton Keller skated into the Blues zone.
Quickly, Keller whipped a pass to teammate Lawson Crouse who let go of a wrist shot that beat Blues goaltender Joel Hofer to tie the game, 1-1.
This move looks good on you, @LawCrouse. https://t.co/b0a1VGrnXS pic.twitter.com/07uc7WSlZU
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 10, 2023
For the rest of the first, Arizona was in their own zone killing penalty after penalty.
Concluding, the Coyotes were outshot 15-3 by St. Louis and finished with four infractions.
Second Period
Immediately, a worrying play happened right after the middle frame started.
This time, Coyotes center Jack McBain fell awkwardly into the boards and went straight to the locker room after apparently hurting one of his legs.
Soon, McBain would return a couple minutes later onto the bench.
Following, the Blues’ constant offensive pressure they had in the first period crossed over to the second.
On the left, St. Louis left wing Pavel Buchnevich skated along the side of the ice.
Quickly, Buchnevich cut towards the front of the Arizona goal and passed it to teammate Robert Tomas for a tap-in with 14:00 left in the second to hand the Blues a lead again, 2-1.
The period continued to see the Coyotes taking multiple penalties, but also the consistent killing of those infractions.
Still, St. Louis continued to pile the chances on Vejmelka before he turned them aside.
Similarly to the first-20 minutes, the Blues lead in shots 27-10 before the horn.
Furthermore, the penalty count for Arizona in the game went up to seven.
Third Period
Both teams traded a couple of opportunities that were saved by Hofer and Vejmelka.
But, for the rest of the third period, not much went on.
At 5:31, Thomas tried to score his second goal of the game, but it hit the crossbar and flew out of play.
With a minute remaining, Vejmelka was pulled to get six players on the ice to try and score for Arizona.
A late push wasn’t enough as the Blues held on to a 2-1 victory.
Postgame Notes
In the end, St. Louis outshot Arizona with a total, 33-20.
On the penalty kill, the Coyotes were a perfect 7-for-7.
Furthermore, the Blues had more hits than the ‘Yotes, 16-14.
With an assist, Schmaltz remains the Coyotes points leader this season with 13 in 13 games.
Also, tonight was the 100th game of Arizona left wing Matias Maccelli’s NHL career.
In net, Vejmelka saved 31 of 33 shots he faced as he was one of the only bright spots for the ‘Yotes tonight.
On the other side, Hofer stopped 19 of 20 attempts from Arizona, including withstanding the late push by the Coyotes in the final moments.
Next, the Coyotes travel to Nashville as they face the Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.
Arizona Coyotes at St. Louis Blues Preview: The ‘Yotes Long Roadtrip Begins
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Alec Cipollini is the lead reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
