With 3 Players In COVID Protocols, Blackhawks Never Lead As They Lose To Coyotes
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Johan Larsson scored his first three goals of the season for his first career hat trick and the Arizona Coyotes dealt the Chicago Blackhawks their sixth straight loss, 6-4 on Thursday night.
Dysin Mayo, Travis Boyd and Clayton Keller also scored for Arizona, which won for just the seventh time this season. The Coyotes (7-22-3) have a league-low 17 points.
Kirby Dach, MacKenzie Entwhistle, Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat scored for Chicago. DeBrincat scored his 21st of the season and third in two games.
The matchup between the teams at the bottom of the Central Division standings played a back-and-forth game. The Blackhawks never led, and trailed by as many as three goals before rallying in the third.
Larsson completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 29 seconds left.
Karel Vejmelka, who stopped 32 shots for his first home victory of the season, made two outstanding saves during a Chicago power play in the first period, robbing DeBrincat with a lunging glove save from point-blank range ,and later stopping a wrist shot by Dylan Strome.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for Chicago. The Blackhawks last won Dec. 15, in overtime against Washington.
OUT OF THE LINEUP
The Blackhawks played without forwards Brandon Hagel and Sam Lafferty and defenseman Erik Gustafsson, all in COVID-19 protocols. Earlier Thursday, Chicago recalled forward Mike Hardman and defenseman Ian Mitchell from Rockford of the AHL. Both were scratches on Thursday.
Coyotes defenseman Jacob Chychrun (upper body) missed his sixth straight game.
WE MEET AGAIN
Kessel had two scoring chances on a shift in the first period against his former Pittsburgh teammate. Fleury stopped Kessel from in close and then again from the slot.
ICE CHIPS
Blackhawks: Brett Connolly sat out the final game of his four-game suspension for a hit against Dallas' Tanner Kero.
Coyotes: Shayne Gostisbehere has scored at least one point in each of his last four games. ... Moser's assists were the first two of his NHL career.
WHAT'S NEXT
Blackhawks: At Las Vegas on Saturday.
Coyotes: Host Nashville on Saturday.
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