Bruins Open Three-Game Road Trip With Win Against Arizona
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Boston coach Claude Julien has liked the Bruins' competition level ever since the calendar turned to November. The compete level was the biggest difference in Boston's 2-1 win over the Coyotes on Saturday at Gila River Arena.
Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak scored second-period goals and the Bruins all but shut down Arizona's offense in a dominating, wire-to-wire performance to open a three-game road trip with a win and improve to 5-2 in November.
Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for Boston to improve to 9-1. Louis Domingue made 27 saves for Arizona, which lost its second straight home game and suffered its third loss in its last four games.
Boston had all the jump on Saturday, despite playing its fourth game in six days. The Coyotes were fortunate to escape the first period scoreless. Boston only out-shot Arizona 10-9, but the Bruins had half a dozen scoring chances and Arizona had none.
Patrice Bergeron and Pastrnak each hit a post with shots, the Bruins' top line of Brad Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak missed five of the eight shots they attempted and the Coyotes had to block seven shots to keep the Bruins at bay. Arizona has been outshot 156-128 in the first period this season.
Boston finally took the lead when center David Krejci slid a pass back to defenseman Zdeno Chara above the circles. Chara sent a shot toward the net that left winger Ryan Spooner deflected through goalie Louis Domingue's pads with traffic at one side of the crease for Spooner's third goal of the season and Chara's 400th career assist at the 7:54 mark of the second period.
Boston widened the lead to 2-0 just 1:50 later when Bergeron won a faceoff in the offensive zone and pushed the puck to defenseman Torey Krug. Krug found Marchand low in the right circle and Marchand fed Pastrnak for a one-timer inside the far post.
Bergeron was dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 24 of 29 draws while contributing greatly to Coyotes center Brad Richardson's 2-for-15 night.
Domingue kept it a two-goal game when he stopped a Marchand backhand on a breakaway with his left pad late in the second period.
Coyotes right winger Radim Vrbata ripped a shot off the post, off Rask's back and in to cut the lead to 2-1 off a feed from Anthony DeAngelo at 12:05 of the third period but Rask shut the door thereafter.
NOTES: Coyotes D Michael Stone returned to the lineup after a six-game absence due to an upper-body injury. Stone has missed nine contests overall this season, including three at the start of the season when he was still rehabbing from knee surgery. ... Arizona's 2015 first-round pick Dylan Strome was a healthy scratch for the third straight game and the eighth time this season. ... Coyotes C Martin Hanzal (lower body) missed his fifth straight game and G Mike Smith (left knee) missed his 12th straight. ... This game featured the NHL's two longest tenured captains: Shane Doan has worn the "C" for the Coyotes since 2003; Zdeno Chara has been the captain for Boston since 2006. ... Bruins D Kevan Miller (hand surgery) missed his first game and C Noel Acciari (lower body) missed his third straight contest.
