Jerry Brown – NHL.com Correspondent
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Rookie Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist to help the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Monday.
Chad Johnson made 26 saves for the Sabres (18-23-4), who have won four of five after a six-game losing streak. Jamie McGinn had a goal, and Rasmus Ristolainen had two assists.
Eichel’s 14th goal of the season came on the power play. He leads all rookies with five power-play goals.
Since blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period of a 3-2 overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, the Coyotes (22-18-5) have been outscored 7-1 and are 0-for-10 on the power play. Of Arizona’s 18 regulation losses, 12 have come against the Eastern Conference, including sweeps by the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Sabres.
Louis Domingue made 26 saves and lost for the first time in regulation in 11 starts this season (7-1-3). Antoine Vermette scored in the third period, allowing the Coyotes to avoid being shut out in back-to-back games; they lost 2-0 to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Arizona had three power-play chances in the first period, including four consecutive minutes after Buffalo’s Jake McCabe was whistled for a double minor for high sticking against Jordan Martinook.
Johnson withstood the pressure, making nine of his 11 saves during the power plays to keep the game scoreless.
Buffalo had an opportunity to jump in front at 1:28 of the second period when Evander Kane broke in against Domingue but was taken down by Mikkel Boedker from behind and awarded a penalty shot. Kane missed the net with a wrist shot to Domingue’s glove side, his sixth miss in seven penalty-shot attempts in his NHL career.
The Sabres kept up the pressure, forcing Martin Hanzal and Connor Murphy to take penalties 1:48 apart to gain a brief 5-on-3 power play.
Boyd Gordon was kicked out of a faceoff in the Arizona end, leaving defenseman Michael Stone to take the draw against Buffalo center Ryan O’Reilly, who won it back to Ristolainen. Eichel one-timed Ristolainen’s pass by Domingue just as the first penalty was expiring at 10:07 for a 1-0 lead.
After failing on another power play of their own, the Coyotes gave the Sabres another opportunity with the man-advantage when Kyle Chipchura hooked down Johan Larsson. McGinn took an Eichel pass and tried to slide the puck across to O’Reilly on a set play, but the puck banked off Stone’s skate and past Domingue at 17:35 to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead.
The Coyotes turned up the pressure in the third and cut the lead at 8:04 just after a McGinn penalty ended. Shane Doan found Vermette at the bottom of the right circle, and his shot squeezed under Johnson’s arm and just inside the post.
Vermette’s seventh goal ended Arizona’s drought at 131:22.
(Reprinted With Permission of The Buffalo Sabres and the NHL)
