Coyotes 5, Panthers 1
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Alex Tanguay understands that his stay in Arizona will likely be a short one. He is 36 and the Coyotes are in the midst of a youth movement, so the recent trade deadline acquisition is on an audition of sorts.
Tanguay got off to a terrific start in his Coyotes debut, scoring a pair of goals in a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
"Really what I want to do is keep playing," Tanguay said before the game. "I haven't had the type of year that I'd like to have, but this is an opportunity and I'd like to showcase myself."
Shane Doan and Jordan Martinook also scored and Louis Domingue made 29 saves as the Coyotes (28-31-6) snapped a season-high seven-game losing streak.
Aaron Ekblad scored for Florida (36-21-8), which hasn't won in Arizona since the 1999-2000 season (eight losses, one tie). Al Montoya had 21 saves for the Panthers, who went 1-3-1 on their five-game road trip and have fallen out of first place in the Atlantic Division.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead 29 seconds into the second period on a Florida power play. Martinook picked Reilly Smith's pocket in the neutral zone and took off on a breakaway. Martinook found the upper corner with a precise snapshot to beat Montoya for Arizona's second shorthanded goal this season.
The Coyotes widened the lead to 2-0 when Antoine Vermette dumped a puck in deep and then fished it out of the corner. Vermette found new Coyote Alex Tanguay streaking toward the far post and fed him in stride for a tap-in at 5:36 of the second period.
The Panthers cut the lead to 2-1 at 17:28 of the second period when left winger Jussi Jokinen threaded a cross-ice pass through two defenders to defenseman Aaron Ekblad for a one-timer that beat goalie Louis Domingue inside the far post.
NOTES: LW Alex Tanguay made his Coyotes debut after missing Thursday's game with a knee sprain. Arizona acquired Tanguay along with two prospects in a trade-deadline deal for RW Mikkel Boedker. ... Coyotes C Boyd Gordon returned to the lineup after missing the last 13 games with a fractured hand, suffered when he blocked a shot on Feb. 4 against Chicago. ... Coyotes D Zbynek Michalek returned to the lineup after a one-game absence with a lower-body injury. ... Coyotes LW Max Domi served a one-game suspensions for an instigator penalty from the final five minutes in Thursday's game against Anaheim. ... The Coyotes recalled G Marek Langhamer and reassigned G Niklas Treutle to Springfield of the AHL. ... Recently acquired Panthers RW Teddy Purcell and LW Jiri Hudler made their debuts after missing the previous game with visa issues. ... Panthers G Al Montoya made his NHL debut with the Coyotes on April 1, 2009, posting a shutout at Colorado.