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Arizona Coyotes vs Nashville Predators final score 3-4: Coyotes fall to Predators in OT shootout

By Catherine Silverman

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Arizona Coyotes hold out for the crapshoot, fall 4-3 with one too few shots against Predators‘ Pekka Rinne in the SO

In a nail-biter of a game out at Bridgestone Arena, the Central Division Nashville Predators overthrew the visiting Arizona Coyotes in a four-round overtime shootout.

This was one of the first games that the Coyotes had looked like they were truly settling in to the new season, despite playing against an old face. The Coyotes outshot the Predators 36-26, but a couple sneaky shots by the Preds’ biggest names (Mike Ribeiro, James Neal) ultimately helped push the teams into OT… and then into the shootout.

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    • The Coyotes had a couple of high points throughout the game. Devan Dubnyk was a star, and it looks like Mike Smith might have some competition in net when it comes to the starting job- if not for the whole season, then at least for a larger chunk of the games. Dubnyk only let 3 shots in 26 slip by, recording a somewhat respectable .885 SV% to carry the team into the shootout.

    One of the strongest points in the Coyotes game had nothing to do with their own end of the ice, though. The team continued to look absolutely dominant on the power play, firing off two goals on four one-man advantage opportunities to keep the team in the game against what’s looking to be a very dominant Nashville franchise.

    Despite having such a strong position on special teams, though, the Coyotes were weak in the neutral zone, allowing too many turnovers to result in goals for the opposition. The Predators have a strong arsenal of scorers this season, and the Arizona franchise failed to take that seriously enough to take home another win.

    Both teams got to see goals scored by former players, as Mike Ribeiro took home a point for the Preds and Martin Erat took home a goal for the Coyotes. Dubnyk also played well against his old franchise, and Joe Vitale held his own in a contest against former teammate James Neal.

    Neal was the clear star of the game for his new franchise, taking four shots and putting one of them in the back of the net to tie up the game just moments after the Coyotes had capitalized on a strong power play. The Coyotes scored at 7:42… and Neal scored in response at 8:03 in the third to tie the game back up.

    If the Coyotes can take anything away from the game, though, it was that the team refused to let goals like that dissuade them. The team of skaters that played against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night would have easily permitted another goal or two following Neal’s impressive slot- the fact that the Coyotes held on for another eight minutes (and then the five minutes of overtimes) hints at a more aggressive and effective franchise moving forward.

    The only unanswered question in the game, though… WHEN WILL SAM GAGNER FINALLY SCORE? The forward had a number of opportunities throughout the game, but none of them truly seemed to work out for him.

    The Coyotes play the Minnesota Wild next, followed by the Florida Panthers. Should be a tough game followed by a much easier one.

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