GLENDALE, Ariz. — Christian Fischer scored off Jakob Chychrun’s rebound at 2:41 of overtime to give the Arizona Coyotes a 3-2 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
The goal was reviewed, then challenged by Nashville and reviewed again. Arizona won for the third time in six games.
The Coyotes trailed 2-1 for much of the third period, until Nick Cousins tied it at 2 with 2:49 to play and the Coyotes on a power play.
The Coyotes have four power-play goals in their last three games.
Nashville has lost three of four.
The Predators scored twice within 17 seconds and the second intermission to take a 2-1 lead.
Ryan Ellis scored with 8.7 seconds left in the second period, and Craig Smith netted a goal 8 seconds into the third.
Antti Raanta had 17 of his 37 saves in the first period as Arizona was outshot by 14.
Juuse Saros got the start in net for the Predators, his second in the past three games, and stopped 22 shots.
The Coyotes had a quality scoring chance in each period, but couldn’t execute a 2-on-1 in the first period and didn’t get a penalty when the Predators’ Yannick Weber appeared to slash Arizona’s Anthony Duclair on a clear path to the goal in the second.
But Duclair got the game’s first goal at 12:41 of the second, working the puck from the side of the net and through a pair of defenders before stuffing it past Saros. Duclair, a season-and-a-half removed from a 44-point rookie campaign with the Coyotes, played amid reports earlier Thursday that he’d asked to be traded.
The 22-year-old has eight goals in 32 games this season.
The Predators drew even in the final seconds of the period. Off a draw, Scott Hartnell passed to Ellis for the goal, Ellis’ first of the season in his second game back after missing the team’s first 38 recovering from off-season knee surgery.
A turnover by the Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson led to Smith’s breakaway goal eight seconds into the third period, giving the Predators the lead for good. Smith leads Nashville with 14 goals on the season.
The Coyotes’ Clayton Keller hit the crossbar with a shot at 8:02 of the third.
Fischer’s winner was his 11th goal of the season.
NOTES: The Coyotes claimed Coyotes C Freddie Hamilton off waivers from the Calgary Flames on Thursday, and assigned F Mario Kempe to Tucson, the club’s American Hockey League affiliate. Hamilton, who was scratched Thursday as he has yet to report, has an assist in eight games with the Flames this season and has also played for the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche and Flames. … C Zac Rinaldo was scratched as he continues to serve his suspension for throwing a punching a game last month. … Predators F Pontus Aberg returned to action for the first time since Dec. 29, with F Cody McLeod scratched.
UP NEXT
Predators: At Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Coyotes: Host New York Rangers on Saturday night.
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