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 Klinkhammer, receiving extended playing time for the first time in
his four-year career, had two goals and a career-high three points
to help the Coyotes to a 6-3 victory over the Islanders at
Jobing.com Arena on Thursday.
"I'm pumped about it. I love it," Klinkhammer said. "I'll enjoy it
tonight, and then back to work. The last couple of weeks, it is
starting to come along. Just have to keep building on it, keep going
in the same direction."
Klinkhammer, who already has career highs with six goals and seven
assists, broke a 1-1 tie with his first goal early in the second
period, although he got a little help when New York defenseman Aaron
Ness knocked the puck in while trying to clear it in front of the
net.
His second goal was the clincher, the only score in the third
period, as the Coyotes matched their highest-scoring game of the
season.
"The first one was lucky, yeah," Klinkhammer said. "I got a lucky
bounce out of the zone on the second one. I was looking to pass the
whole way, then I realized I was in a little tight and shot it. I
just panicked. It probably looked nicer than it was."
Right winger Mikkel Boedker added two goals, his first two at home
this season, center Mike Ribeiro added a goal and two assists, and
defenseman Keith Yandle had a goal and an assist as the Coyotes
(18-8-5) avenged their worst loss of the season, 6-1 on the East
Coast in the third game of the season.
The Coyotes scored four goals in the second period.
"We were pretty solid," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "We had a
lot of people contribute. That goes back to who we are. Every guy in
there feels a responsibility. They've got to chip in."
Center John Tavares scored his 13th goal of the season for the
Islanders, who won one of their last 12 games and three of their
last 19, getting only six points in that span. New York (9-19-5)
broke a 10-game winless streak by beating the Sharks in San Jose on
Tuesday.
"It's the worst hockey game I've seen our defense play," Islanders
coach Jack Capuano said of the defeat in Phoenix. "Four goals were a
direct result. Turnovers. Not being able to execute on the
breakouts. It was like they were in quicksand back there."
Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith, who missed two of the previous three
games with an illness, made 21 saves.
The Coyotes peppered Islanders' goalie Kevin Poulin (31 saves) early
in the second period, scoring three of their goals in the first 6:15
for a 4-1.
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After Klinkhammer scored for a 2-1 lead at 2:34, Boedker
followed with his eighth goal after a cross-ice pass from Yandle
got loose in front at 4:31. Ribeiro got his ninth goal from the
slot to make it 4-1 at 6:15 of the period.
"As the back end, as a group, it wasn't there," New York
defenseman Thomas Hickey said. "Safe to say, opportunity
missed."
The Islanders responded with two goals in 83 seconds to make it
4-3. Tavares was credited with a goal when his centering pass
toward the front was tipped in by a Coyotes defender at 11:42,
and forward Kyle Okposo scored his 10th goal while sliding in
from the left side at 13:05 to make it 4-3.
As the period wound down, Boedker stole the puck at center ice
and scored his second goal with 1:01 left to make it 5-3.
"The goal kind of took the wind out of them a little bit,"
Boedker said. "We got that goal before the period (ended), and
when you do that, you can kind of come in and settle it down and
get back to basics."
Klinkhammer completed the scoring at 14:13 of the third period.
The Islanders opened the scoring when left winger Eric Boulton
tipped in a shot from the left point by defenseman Andrew
MacDonald at 13:06 of the first period.
Yandle tied the game with a power-play goal on a slap shot from
just inside the blue line between the circles 88 seconds later.
"We never quit, that's a good thing," Ribeiro said.
NOTES: Coyotes C Shane Doan missed his third straight game with
an undisclosed illness. Coach Dave Tippett said after Thursday's
morning skate that Doan is "not going to be available for the
foreseeable future. He's still getting some tests done, so
hopefully it's not long, long term." ... Doan has 23 points,
which is third on the team. The last time the Islanders were in
Arizona, on Jan. 2, 2012, Doan had his first career hat trick.
The teams did not meet in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.
... After a two-game homestand that concludes against the
Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, the Coyotes play four road
games in seven days on an East Coast trip. ... Islanders C Ryan
Strome was a healthy scratch after being recalled from AHL
Bridgeport. Strome, 20, was leading the AHL with 33 points (nine
goals, 24 assists) in 23 games. ... The Islanders concluded a
five-game road trip Thursday. They play three of their next four
games at home.
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