Kase scores in OT to lift Ducks over Coyotes

[January 07, 2017]  ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ondrej Kase was among the players who headed to the locker room in pain Friday night, but the Anaheim rookie didn't stay gone for long, returning to score in overtime and lift the Ducks to a 3-2 victory against visiting Arizona at Honda Center.

"He's one of those guys that he's kind of like the Energizer Bunny for us," said Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle. "He gets knocked down, he picks himself back up and delivers in some clutch situations."

The rookie right winger took advantage of a miscue by veteran goaltender Mike Smith to give the Ducks their first win during the 5-minute overtime this season.

Smith had made a save on Cam Fowler and was looking to pass the puck out when Kase sneaked in from his right side and poked it past the goal line with 36 seconds left. Smith said his stick broke just before the winning goal.

"I make a good save coming across and then they have three guys trapped deep," he said. "I tried to just throw one past their forechecker there, and my knob breaks."

The Coyotes lost their ninth game in a row, but earned their first point since Dec. 15. They also finished the game without forwards Martin Hanzal (lower body) Jordan Martinook (upper body) and defenseman Jakob Chychrun (upper body).

"When things go bad, it snowballs," Smith said.

The Ducks carried a 2-1 lead into the third period after young forwards Joseph Cramarossa and Chris Wagner sandwiched goals around another by Martin Hanzal of Arizona.

Wagner broke the 1-1 tie with 3:55 left in the second period, taking a low-percentage shot from inches above the goal line to the left of Arizona goaltender Mike Smith. The puck caromed off Smith and trickled inside the near post for Wagner's third goal of the season and seventh of his career.

Hanzal had tied the score earlier in the second period after he cut to the net and redirected a centering pass from Anthony Duclair at the 1:18 mark.

The Coyotes continued their strong start to the period as Martinook rang a shot off the left post. Shortly afterward, however, Martinook headed to the locker room after taking a hard fall to the ice while tangling with Corey Perry in the corner.

The Ducks earned their first power play later in the period, but it was the Coyotes who had the best scoring opportunity, breaking loose on a 2-on-1. Ducks rookie defenseman Brandon Montour appeared to get away with throwing his stick and knocking away the puck just as Tobias Rieder was about to shoot.

Smith came up with two big saves just before Wagner's goal, turning away Ryan Kesler's shot at the end of a 3-on-1 and then stopping Antoine Vermette's one-timer while alone in front of the crease.

 The Ducks took a 1-0 lead 6:35 into the game when Cramarossa deflected a shot from Perry just enough to get it by Smith.

Josh Manson set up the scoring play when he spotted Perry wide open in the high slot and slid the puck Perry's way. Cramarossa was jostling in front of the net with Peter Holland when Perry let go of his shot.

It was the sixth consecutive game the Coyotes surrendered the first goal.

Arizona nearly scored first on an earlier power play. Duclair took a shot from in close and it deflected off Gibson and then off the crossbar, ricocheting straight down on the goal line before Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa swept it out. Play was quickly stopped to review the play, but the Ducks received the benefit of a review for the second straight game.

The Detroit Red Wings had a goal taken off the board in a 2-0 loss to the Ducks on Wednesday night.

"Finally, we get the monkey off our back," Carlyle said of the overtime win. "It's been too long and too many points left by the wayside, and tonight we found a way to get it done."

NOTE: Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury sustained in the third period of Sunday's shootout win against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Getzlaf, who remains day-to-day, has five goals and entered the night tied for eighth in the NHL with 25 assists. ... D Korbinian Holzer was a healthy scratch for the second straight contest for Anaheim, as rookie D Brandon Montour remained in the lineup for his fourth career game. ... Arizona C Alexander Burmistrov, secured off waivers Monday after the Winnipeg Jets dropped their former first-round pick, did not accompany the team to Anaheim as he remained in Vancouver trying to secure a work visa. ... Coyotes D Anthony DeAngelo served the second contest of a three-game suspension for physical abuse of officials. D Kevin Connauton was a healthy scratch.

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