Dylan Guenther scored once and added two assists as the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Washington Capitals 4-2 Sunday afternoon.
Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley, Michael Kesselring and Jason Zucker all scored for the Coyotes (25-31-5). Schmaltz also had an assist for a two-point game and Karel Vejmelka made 24 saves in Arizona’s second straight win.
Anthony Mantha and Sonny Milano both recorded the goals in the Capitals’ (28-23-9) loss. Charlie Lindgren stopped 23 shots.
From 100-plus feet away in the Coyotes’ defensive zone, Guenther fired a cross-ice pass to Cooley for a breakaway. All alone, Cooley went from his backhand to the forehand and sniped for a 1-0 Arizona lead.
Zucker started the second period as he completed a tic-tac-toe setup between Guenther and Schmaltz on the power play, extending the ‘Yotes’ advantage to 2-0.
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin then pinpointed Milano at the front of the net for a one-timer to make it 2-1.
But to regain a two-goal lead for Arizona, Kesselring found just enough space to score past Lindgren as the Coyotes went up 3-1.
Guenther got in on the action in a three-goal second period for Arizona as he tried to pass to Barrett Hayton for a tap-in, but the puck bounced off of John Carlson’s stick and redirected into the net for a 4-1 game.
Mantha fought back with a power play slap shot beating Vejmelka just 10 seconds into the third period, but Schmaltz sealed a 5-2 victory for the Coyotes with an empty-netter near the end.
Next Games
Coyotes: Home vs. Chicago Blackhawks (15-41-5) on March 5 at 7 p.m. MST
Senators: Away vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (27-23-8) on March 7 at 5 p.m. MST
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