Because of two coaches challenges going in their favor against the San José Sharks, the Arizona Coyotes were preserve a 1-0 victory at Mullett Arena tonight.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This was a battle between two inconsistent offenses with San Jose being the lowest scoring team in the NHL (74 goals) and Arizona only having eight in their last four games coming in.
The theme embodied this matchup throughout the evening, though there were prime scoring chances created by both squads.
Implementing pressure early, Coyotes left wing Lawson Crouse found himself alone in the slot before missing wide twice.
San Jose would grasp the momentum for the rest of the initial frame after the first-7:00.
Sharks center Mikael Granlund had a golden opportunity in front of Ingram, but Ingram was able to flash his glove to make one of 21 saves in his third shutout of the season.
Play would constantly fluctuate rolling into the second period and beyond.
Former Coyote Anthony Duclair had a breakaway squandered with the puck rolling off his stick blade while entering between the hash marks.
Going the other way, Arizona were the first ones to capitalize.
From the blue line, Coyotes defenseman J.J. Moser fired a shot at Kähkönen’s left leg pad. Then, ‘Yotes left wing Matias Maccelli dove, swung his stick and netted his sixth goal of the season off a rebound with 5:15 remaining in the second period.
THING OF BEAUTY. https://t.co/NAikMZUVZ7 pic.twitter.com/wHqnp6PI81
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) December 16, 2023
In the third period, San Jose looked to score twice, but the use of instant replay secured the Coyotes lead.
The Sharks seemed to knot the game up 1-1 from left wing William Eklund finishing a rebound. However, center Luke Kunin bumped into Ingram before Eklund’s attempt went in and was eventually wiped out for goalie interference.
William Eklund’s game-tying goal was wiped off after this run of play 🤔 pic.twitter.com/GHp9uhT1iH
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 16, 2023
As regulation was concluding, San Jose’s frustrated bench started and became even more irate as Granlund thought he buried a breakaway goal. After further review, however, it was ruled offsides due to a delayed entry into Arizona’s offensive zone by Sharks left wing Fabian Zetterlund.
San Jose presented an aggressive push and kept fighting until the end with no avail as the Coyotes won 1-0.
Following this unique shutout, Ingram now has four in his NHL career and three this season.
Additionally, the Coyotes progress to 14-13-2 with 28 points, move up to fifth place in the Central Division and snap a four-game losing streak.
On the other hand, the disgruntled Sharks fall to 9-18-3 on the year as they will now head to Colorado and play the Avalanche on Sunday.
Tomorrow, Arizona are back in action as they will face the Buffalo Sabres for a second time this week, this time inside Mullett Arena at 7 p.m. MST.
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Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
