National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona 4, Philadelphia 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, December 29, 2014
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Rob Martell, Steve Kozari
Linesmen: Mark Wheler, Kiel Murchison
Attendance: 16521

Coyotes 4, Flyers 2: Antoine Vermette scored two goals and set up another as host Arizona matched a season high by winning its third straight after dropping 10 of its previous 12 games (2-8-2).

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson added his league-leading sixth power-play goal and captain Shane Doan also tallied for the Coyotes, who also won three in a row from Nov. 2-7. Mikkel Boedker notched a pair of assists and Devan Dubnyk finished with 30 saves.

R.J. Umberger scored twice in the third period and Sean Couturier recorded two assists for the Flyers, who have dropped two straight after winning the first three of their season-high eight-game road trip. Steve Mason turned aside 21 shots in his return from an apparent back injury and captain Claude Giroux saw his four-game point streak come to a halt.

Boedker's drop pass found Ekman-Larsson, who beat Mason at 2:48 of the third period to stake Arizona to a 3-0 lead. Umberger one-timed a pass from defenseman Mark Streit past Dubnyk with 7:49 remaining and deflected Couturier's shot three minutes later to trim the deficit, but Vermette scored his team-leading 11th goal into an empty net to seal the win.

Captain Shane Doan's shot from above the right faceoff circle deflected off the stick of Philadelphia defenseman Nicklas Grossmann and past Mason with 1:34 remaining in the first period to open the scoring. Vermette doubled the advantage with 4:29 remaining in the second by easily tapping in the rebound of defenseman Zbynek Michalek's shot.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Umberger has recorded three goals in his last five games after mustering just two in his previous 31. ... Arizona C Sam Gagner was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on Monday after recording two goals and four assists in his previous three games. ... The contest featured Coyotes D Connor Murphy facing his father, Gord, who is an assistant coach with Philadelphia. ... With his family in attendance, Arizona C Tyler Gaudet won 5-of-10 faceoffs while making his NHL debut.
Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Arizona
R.J. Umberger 2 Points Antoine Vermette 3
R.J. Umberger 2 Goals Antoine Vermette 2
Sean Couturier 2 Assists Mikkel Boedker 2
N/A Power Play Goals Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Steve Mason .875 Save Percentage Devan Dubnyk .938
Steve Mason 21 Saves Devan Dubnyk 30
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Philadelphia 32 2 0-2 1-2 4 37
Arizona 25 4 1-2 2-2 4 28
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .462 after a win and .348 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Colorado. The Flyers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .318 after a loss.