Nick Schmaltz scored twice and Karel Vejmelka made 34 saves as the Arizona Coyotes defeated the host Seattle Kraken 5-2 Wednesday night.
Phil Kessel, Anton Stralman and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Coyotes, who won for just the second time in their past nine games. Kessel and Galchenyuk added an assist apiece.
Colin Blackwell and Calle Jarnkrok scored for Seattle, both on assists from Yanni Gourde. Philipp Grubauer stopped 22 of 25 shots.
Vejmelka, who was beaten 5-1 Tuesday in Vancouver, made starts on back-to-back nights because Scott Wedgewood is out with an upper-body injury.
Vejmelka made two sterling saves, stopping Gourde with a right toe save at the post in the first period, then sliding across the crease to get a blocker on a shot by All-Star Jordan Eberle on a two-on-one break in the second.
The Kraken twice pulled within a goal in the third period, but Arizona responded both times, and Galchenyuk and Schmaltz converted empty-netters in the final 1:37.
Kessel opened the scoring at 4:07 of the first period following a Seattle turnover in its own end. He picked up a loose puck at the bottom of the left faceoff circle, skated around Grubauer and slipped a forehander just inside the right post. It was the 397th goal of Kessel’s 16-year career.
The Coyotes made it 2-0 at 14:51 of the second, with Schmaltz taking a long lead pass from Galchenyuk to break in alone down the left wing. Schmaltz reached the faceoff dot and put a wrist shot over Grubauer’s catching glove and into the far side of the net.
The Kraken pulled within 2-1 on Blackwell’s goal just 16 seconds into the third. Gourde intercepted a pass at center ice and Blackwell charged down the right wing before putting a shot from the top of the faceoff circle through defenseman Dysin Mayo’s legs and into the far upper corner of the net.
Stralman restored the Coyotes’ two-goal advantage at 1:52. Ryan Dzingel’s shot from the right point was knocked down in front of the net, and the puck fell straight to Stralman in the slot. He put a backhander over a sprawling Grubauer.
Jarnkrok made it 3-2 at 15:52, taking a cross-ice pass from Gourde on a three-on-two break and tipping the puck past Vejmelka from close range.
–Field Level Media
