Coyotes Feast on Ducks in Overtime

Coyote’s goalie, Anderson Lindback, defends goal against Ducks Corey Perry (photo from NHL)

Fans barely touched their seats Monday night as the Arizona Coyotes edged out the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in overtime, ending the Ducks’ 4-0 winning streak. Misfiring on a drop pass, Ryan Getzlaf cost the Ducks the game at 1:18 in the overtime free hockey period. Coyotes Mikkel Bodker scored the winning goal, ending the game with a 4-3 overtime victory for the Coyotes.

Getzalf later told Fox Sports, “For whatever reason, we seemed a little out of sync tonight, as a line, as a unit"(FOX Sports). Gelzalf capitalizes on their frivolous errors in the second and third periods that ultimately cost them the game.

The game was notable for its high-spirited fans, whose chanting wars reverberated across the stadium. The game even lead to some physical fights amongst the opposing players by the end of first period. The Ducks came into the game strong during the first period and by 12:39 minutes into the period had already secured a solid lead of 2-0, allowing the Coyotes eight shots at goal.

By the second period, the Ducks’ sloppy passes allowed the Coyotes to inch their way into the game with three strong goals by Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. The Ducks attempted to retaliate, taking 11 shots on goal in the middle frame, but achieved no success. The Coyotes lead by 3-2 by the end of the second.

Unlike the second period, the Ducks had possession of the puck for the majority of period three. But the Coyotes goalkeeper, Anderson Lindback, was arguably the most valuable player of the game, singlehandedly blocking 33 shots at goal. Finally, Lindback made a minor error, allowing Sami Vatanen’s penalty kill shot slip past his glove halfway through period three, tying the score 3-3.

Coyote fans were outraged at Vatanen’s goal as muffled screams of “FOUL” echoed through the stadium. Referees were quick to peel apart Coyote and Ducks jerseys from one another and declared the goal countable, resulting in overtime. Overtime lasts approximately five minutes, and the first team to score wins. The overtime was quickly won by the Coyotes due to a defensive blunder by Getzlaf. Boedker intercepted a broken-up backwards pass between Getzlaf and Perry, allowing him to take a winning shot at goal, finalizing the score at 4-3.

The atmosphere quickly deadened as the lights illuminated the stadium, and the players skated off the ice. A flood of orange and black jerseys filed out of the stadium silently as red jerseys chanted, “YOTES, YOTES, YOTES.” Arizona’s win keeps their spot in the Pacific Division safe for now, crushing the Ducks’ opportunity to take the fourth spot in the Pacific Division.

Head Coach of the Anaheim Ducks’, Bruce Boudreau, said on the team’s performance, “When you have a 2-0 lead after one, you should be able to close it. We didn’t.” Definitely an upsetting loss for the Anaheim Ducks Community, but the Coyotes’ speed on the ice proved that they were undeniably the stronger team Monday night.