Conor Garland scored three goals, including the winner in overtime, as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-4 on Thursday in Tempe, Ariz., in the final game of the season for both clubs.
Garland outbattled Coyotes defenseman J.J. Moser to break free and then lifted a backhand past goaltender Karel Vejmelka as the Canucks (38-37-7, 83 points) won despite blowing a three-goal, first period lead.
Vancouver’s J.T. Miller had a goal and an assist and Elias Pettersson also scored. Quinn Hughes dished out three assists.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Kyle Burroughs added two assists each for the Canucks, who will miss the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons. Goaltender Collin Delia turned aside 24 shots.
Liam O’Brien led the Coyotes (28-40-14, 70 points) with a pair of goals and Nick Schmaltz and added a goal and an assist. Travis Boyd scored and Jack McBain had two assists for Arizona. Vejmelka made 19 saves.
The Canucks exploded for four goals in the first period, including three unanswered tallies in the 6:13 span.
Vancouver opened the scoring just 3:53 into the first period when Hughes carried the puck into the Coyotes’ zone then waited patiently before feeding Pettersson, who slipped a backhand through Vejmelka’s legs.
O’Brien showed great hand-eye coordination by tying it up 1-1 just 75 seconds later, batting the puck out of mid-air into the top half of the net.
Garland and Miller then scored power-play goals to make it 3-1. Garland added his second at 14:16 as the Canucks scored four goals on their first 15 shots.
Boyd began the comeback with his 15th goal of the season with just seven seconds left in the first period. O’Brien then scored his second of the night, the only goal of the second period, to make it 4-3 at 9:54.
Schmaltz scored at 16:40 of the third to tie the game and send it into overtime.
–Field Level Media
