GLENDALE, Ariz. — Clayton Keller scored twice, including one during a three-goal first period by the Arizona Coyotes in a 6-2 romp over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.
Arizona set a season high for goals but also lost goalie Antti Raanta to a lower-body injury. Raanta stopped 17 of 17 shots before exiting during the second intermission. Adin Hill relieved and stopped 10 of 12 shots.
Brad Richardson, Jordan Oesterle and Keller scored in a 4-minute span in the first, and Lawson Crouse and Derek Stepan also scored in Arizona’s third straight win.
Carter Hart allowed three goals on 12 shots before getting pulled by Philadelphia. Brian Elliott made seven saves in relief as the Flyers lost for the fourth time in five games.
Tyler Pitlick and Justin Braun scored for the Flyers.
Richardson scored at 12:33 of the first period when his shot took a favourable bounce and slid under Hart’s pads.
Oesterle scored 57 seconds later when his shot appeared to hit the Flyers’ Matt Niskanen on the fly and redirected it past Hart.
Hart’s night ended with 3:45 to play in the first period when Keller’s power-play one-timer zipped in. Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel assisted with long passes to work the puck to Keller, who scored his 11th of the season.
The Flyers have allowed 11 first period goals in three games after Vegas scored four in the Golden Knights’ 5-4 win on Thursday, and the Los Angeles Kings scored four in their 5-3 win over the Flyers on New Year’s Eve.
Crouse made it 4-0 just before the second-period buzzer and seconds after the end of a Coyotes power play. His high backhand found the top right corner of the net for his ninth of the season.
Hill gave up both Flyers goals. Stepan, who also had an assist, scored an empty-net goal at 17:36 of the third.
NOTES
The Flyers went with Fs Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Andy Andreoff on their third and fourth lines, scratching Mikhail Vorobyev and Chris Stewart. … Coyotes F Michael Grabner was scratched for the third straight game. … The Coyotes paid tribute to Flyers F Oskar Lindblom, who is battling bone cancer, by wearing “Oskar Strong’ shirts after the morning skate Saturday. When a photo of the players wearing the shirts was shown on the big screen inside Gila River Arena during the first period, Flyers players paused to tap their sticks.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia: At Carolina on Tuesday night, the end of a season-high six-game trip.
Arizona: At Florida on Tuesday night, the start of a stretch of six road games in the next eight.
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Jose M. Romero, The Associated Press