Coyotes: the happiness of some is the misfortune of others

BET À DAY

The Coyotes have never looked better this season than Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues. Thanks to a hat trick from Nick Schmaltz, the Arizona team overcame their powerful opponents, much to the chagrin of Craig Berube. 

The Blues head coach no doubt had to remonstrate with his men in the locker room after their second half defeat. The Coyotes ultimately won 5-0, with Karel Vejmelka's 33 saves helping their cause. 

“Two turnovers in the second period and it’s in our net. In the third period, we leave the locker room and we allow a goal on the first appearance, with five veterans on the ice. It was over,” explained Berube, who held a very brief press briefing after the match.

Two Blues goals were also disallowed after consultation with the referees. On a net by defender Justin Faulk, Berube admitted that one of his men had obstructed by touching Vejmelka's mitt.

It was not time for excuses from the representatives of Missouri, who have lost three games in a row.

A first on his record

As for the Coyotes, it was Schmaltz who stood out with a of the natural hat, he who scored the first three goals of his team. The center player has scored seven points in his last three games.

“It's rather good. It's always nice when you can score and contribute to a big win like that. This game was really fun and I'm happy to have scored my first hat trick, ”supported the site NHL.com who is more recognized for his passing skills.

In 2021-2022, Schmaltz had notably had a seven-point game against the Ottawa Senators in March. When the 26-year-old American goes, everything goes for the Coyotes, who also defeated the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week.

“Schmaltz has been good, very good, admitted the driver André Tourigny. We played the right way, we were effective defensively and we had a great goalkeeper. St. Louis is dangerous on the counterattack and we defended well on that. We enjoyed everyone's input.”

Travis Boyd and Barrett Hayton were the other scorers for Arizona. A date with the weak Anaheim Ducks, who won 5-2 at their expense on Tuesday, now awaits the Coyotes on Saturday.