Smith, Coyotes shut down Canucks
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes have been preaching patience and small victories with their young core of players. The pups got a little payoff in a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Gila River Arena.
Lawson Crouse, Alex Burmistrov and Tobias Rieder scored and Mike Smith made 19 saves for his first shutout this season as Arizona posted its first three-game winning streak of the season.
The shutout was the 31st of Smith's career and his 20th as a Coyote -- one shy of the franchise record held by Nikolai Khabibulin and Ilya Bryzgalov -- allowing Smith to head to the NHL All-Star Game in style as the team's lone representative.
The Coyotes held the Canucks without a shot in the first period, the fifth time that has happened to the Canucks in franchise history. It was the fourth time in franchise history the Coyotes held an opponent without a shot in a period and it the second time it has happened in the first period. The last time was Jan. 15, 1982, at Calgary.
The Canucks finally managed their first shot on goal off the stick of right winger Alex Burrows with 11:48 left in the second period. Burrows' shot came while the Canucks were short-handed, and it came from his own zone.
The Coyotes opened the scoring just seconds after Smith made a left pad save on Henrik Sedin off a redirect in front of the Coyotes net. Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson sent a shot toward the net that Ryan White deflected wide but onto the stick of Crouse.
Crouse used all of the reach in his 6-foot-4 frame to score on a wraparound before goalie Ryan Miller (28 saves) could get to the left post at 12:56 of the second period for 1-0 lead.
Miller entered the game with a sparkling 11-1 career record against the Coyotes, a 1.40 goals-against average, two shutouts and a .954 save percentage, but the Coyotes got to him again during a four-minute power play in the third period.
Burmistrov gave Arizona a 2-0 lead at 4:29 of the third period when he picked off a clearing attempt by the Canucks' Michael Chaput. With Miller out of position after an initial save on Radim Vrbata, Burmistrov, a Jan. 2 waiver pick-up, scored his first goal as a Coyote to give him six points in six games with Arizona.
Rieder added an empty-netter off a pass from Vrbata with 33.4 seconds left. It was Rieder's third goal in his last three games.
NOTES: Coyotes LW Max Domi saw a doctor to evaluate the broken bone in his right hand. Coach Dave Tippett said Domi could return practice as soon as Monday and to the lineup in about two weeks. Domi hasn't played since breaking the hand in a fight against Calgary on Dec. 8. ... Coyotes RWs Jordan Martinook (upper body) and Shane Doan (upper body) were in the lineup. Doan missed the last two days of practice; Martinook missed the last two games. ... Coyotes C Brad Richardson (fractured right tibia and fibula) is on injured reserve and out indefinitely. ... Canucks D Philip Larsen replaced D Alex Biega in the lineup. Larsen missed the last 23 games with an upper-body injury. His last game was Dec. 6 at New Jersey. ... Canucks D Ben Hutton (hand) and RW Anton Rodin (IR, knee) are day to day. D Erik Gudbranson (IR, wrist), RW Derek Dorsett (IR, shoulder) and RW Jannik Hansen (IR, knee) are out indefinitely.