After a miserable night in Colorado, the Carolina Hurricanes enjoyed a brighter day Monday in Arizona.
The Canes beat the Coyotes 5-3 at Gila River Arena, which was a good thing. Carolina (49-20-8), which had a season-high 52 shots, ended a two-game losing streak and moved back into a two-point lead over the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division, another good thing for the Canes.
“We’ll take the two points for sure,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We needed it.”
Max Domi scored his first goal with the Canes and the 100th of a career that began with the Coyotes. That was a good thing and a personal milestone for him.
Domi was at center Monday with wingers Nino Niederreiter and Jesper Fast, momentarily taking over the spot that has been manned much of the season by Jordan Staal.
Not a bad stand-in, either. Both Niederreiter and Fast scored, and Domi and Niederreiter also had assists.
“It was easy to play with him,” Niederreiter said. To which Domi added, “I was just trying to help any way I can.”
Vincent Trocheck scored the game’s first goal -- his 20th of the season -- and Sebastian Aho pushed the Canes’ lead to 5-3 in the third period with his 36th after the Coyotes had made a push after falling behind 4-1 in the second.
“All the lines produced. They were effective,” Brind’Amour said. “Obviously with (Staal) out that’s a big hole there and I thought Max did a nice job.”
Staal was shaken up Saturday in the 7-4 loss to the Avalanche and the captain sat out Monday’s game. But he took part in the morning skate Monday and could return to the lineup this week.
A bigger cause of concern for the Canes is goaltender Frederik Andersen, who had to be assisted off the ice late in Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury.
The plans were for him to be reevaluated after the return to Raleigh.
Antti Raanta was in net Monday against his former team and picked up his 13th win, facing 26 shots. Raanta left the Coyotes after last season to sign with the Canes in free agency and it was his first game back at Gila River Arena.
The Canes lineup had several former Coyotes in it: Raanta, Domi, Tony DeAngelo, Derek Stepan, Jordan Martinook.
Fast scored early in the second period after a Coyotes turnover and then Domi made it 3-0. After a Nick Ritchie goal for Arizona, Niederreiter buried a shot off Domi’s pass in transition and the Canes’ lead was 4-1.
An easy night? Not for the Canes. The Coyotes responded by scoring twice on odd-man rushes in the second -- Loui Eriksson and Alex Galchenyuk with the goals -- to make it a tighter game.
Raanta also was forced to make a scrambling save after leaving the net to play the puck, Ethan Bear’s pass hitting Raanta and allowing the Coyotes’ Travis Boyd a shot.
“All of a sudden now we have a game,” Brind’Amour said. “It happens that fast.” But the Canes didn’t let this one get away, locking it down in the third period.
______
