Coyotes Game 43 Recap: Coyotes fall 2-1 to Jets, drop their 9th straight

Jan 16, 2023 - 3:54 AM

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Game Recap

Another unsuccessful road trip is in the books as the Arizona Coyotes return home after losing to the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild in back-to-back games. The Yotes have dropped their last nine games and are still winless in 2023.

It was another tough loss for the Coyotes, who fell 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets. The Desert Dogs did a lot right, but the offense wasn’t there, and for the second straight night, they ran out of time before they could tie things up.

Arizona started with an especially weak first period. They were outshot 12-4 in the first frame, despite having a four-minute power play when Kevin Stenlund caught Clayton Keller up high with his stick, causing his lip to start bleeding.

But the Coyotes couldn’t do anything with the man advantage and finished the period down a man when Lawson Crouse was called for tripping. The first period ended scoreless, but Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his 20th of the season just 37 seconds into the second to give the Jets a 1-0 lead.

Giving up the goal seemed to wake up the Coyotes, who started to push back as the second period went along. After stringing together a few good shifts and Vejmelka made a few big saves to keep them in the game. Then, the Yotes finally broke through, with Keller getting his 15th of the season.

Keller showed tremendous patience on the play, holding his shot until Connor Hellebuyck was out of position, and he had the perfect shot. Nick Schmaltz and Jakob Chychrun both picked up assists on the play, their 14th and 17th respectively.

Unfortunately, the Coyotes couldn’t take the next step and get the lead. They had a golden opportunity with another power play minutes later, but they couldn’t beat Hellebuyck. The 29-year-old goaltender closed the door long enough for Blake Wheeler to break the tie with what would eventually prove to be the game-winning goal.

But the Coyotes still had plenty of time left to mount a comeback. Wheeler scored with three minutes and 15 seconds left in the second period, so there was time for a comeback.

The comeback never happened despite a decent third period. The Coyotes only took one penalty early on, they tested Hellebuyck, and they looked engaged and kept the Jets from adding to their lead. But, unfortunately, they failed to score the equalizer, and the game ended 2-1.h

At this point, it feels like the Coyotes are back to needing to play a perfect game if they want to win. Their offense can’t be relied on, and even when they limit their mistakes, they are still dropping games. But they are back in Tempe for two games, and hopefully, the Mullett Magic will be there this time.

Lines

Three Stars

1. Blake Wheeler - Game-winning goal
2. Pierre-Luc Dubois - Power play goal
3. Clayton Keller - Goal

Next Game

The Coyotes are back home this Tuesday to face off against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:00 pm Arizona time.