Bo Horvat scored twice as Islanders defeat Coyotes
Jan 4, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho (25) passes the puck in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. credits: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports Bo Horvat had two goals and an assist as the New York Islanders recorded a 5-1 road victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday in Tempe, Ariz.
Mathew Barzal and Noah Dobson each had two assists for New York. Julien Gauthier, Anders Lee and Mike Reilly scored the Islanders' other goals.
The win ended a two-game (0-1-1) winless streak for New York, as the Islanders earned the first victory of their four-game road trip.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 25 of 26 shots to continue his dominance of the Coyotes. Sorokin is 4-2-0 with a .950 save percentage and three shutouts in six career games against Arizona.
Nick Schmaltz scored the only goal for the Coyotes, who have lost two in a row.
Arizona goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 26 of 31 shots.
Two of Horvat's points came in the first period, beginning with a power-play goal at the 7:56 mark. Horvat then earned an assist on Reilly's goal at 12:02 of the opening frame, after Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba unintentionally started the play with a turnover in Arizona's end.
The Coyotes offense sparked to life in the second period, as Arizona outshot New York by a 13-6 margin in the middle frame. New York's struggling penalty-kill unit suffered another breakdown, as Schmaltz scored a power-play goal at the 3:29 mark of the period.
This was as close as the Coyotes would come, as the Islanders pulled away with a quick pair of goals early in the third period.
At 4:29 of the final frame, Barzal deflected a Juuso Valimaki pass to force a turnover. The puck went right to Lee in the slot, resulting in Lee's 11th goal of the season.
Just 53 seconds later, Gauthier's strong individual effort extended New York's lead. Gauthier took the puck in his own end, raced down the ice in a partial 2-on-1, and then buried a shot from the circle.
Horvat capped off his big night by forcing a takeaway at 13:05 of the third period, then heading towards Arizona's net in a two-on-none rush. Horvat converted for his 16th goal of the season.
—Field Level Media
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