The Arizona Coyotes began the second half of the NHL regular season knowing they were to play their final 28 games over 54 days between Tuesday night in Minnesota and May 8.

Then they went out on the ice and suffered their season-high fourth straight loss in Game No. 29, 3-0 to the Wild. For the third straight game against the Wild, the third period was their undoing after staying close for two periods once again.

Goals by Mats Zuccarello and Jared Spurgeon in the third sealed the Wild’s fourth win over the Coyotes this season and fifth consecutive overall. Minnesota outscored Arizona 9-0 in the third periods of the three games in St. Paul. 

The Coyotes couldn’t gain any ground on fourth place and a playoff spot in the West Division by going scoreless for the second time in four games, and have just two goals in that span. 

Adin Hill, pressed into a start in goal when the Coyotes announced before the game that oft-injured goalie Antti Raanta was out with a lower body injury and is day to day, stopped 23 shots. Hill had a clean look at a shot from Zuccarello early in the third, but couldn’t get it.

Hill gave the Coyotes a chance, though, but a failure to score on a five-minute power play in the first period, plus a 5-on-3 power play in the third they had for 69 seconds, cost Arizona. 

Head coach Rick Tocchet looked for a spark, moving personnel to different lines. There were a few chances, most notably a second period breakaway for Clayton Keller. But Keller’s attempt was stopped on a pad save by Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen. 

Johan Larsson also missed on a shorthanded breakaway in the third. 

Key Moment

A big hit on Coyotes forward Conor Garland by Minnesota’s Carson Soucy got the team’s attention in a way that hadn’t been so present in previous games. 

Garland was eventually able to return after the hit, but the Coyotes took action in his defense.

Lawson Crouse went right after Soucy after he came out of the penalty box at the end of Soucy’s five-minute penalty for the high hit. Crouse landed three hard lefts to a fallen Soucy before leaving the ice for the last four-minutes plus of the first period, and was issued a game misconduct. 

The Arizona Republic asked Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong on Monday about all of the physical play, sometimes overly physical, directed against Garland this season and if he’d like to see the Coyotes more often back up their leader in assists and points. 

“I’ve been asked that question a lot,” Armstrong said. “The days of having all of the enforcers on the ice and coaches sending fighters out is kind of done. So I think that it’s more a team toughness and there’s other ways to make sure that if our guy’s taking that hit, then so are their guys. So I think there’s different ways to do it. Not saying to go outside the lines, stay inside the lines. But you need to play just as hard on their superstars as they play on ours, and I think that we can do a better job of that.” 

Up Next

The Coyotes head west for their next two games, both against the Anaheim Ducks starting on Thursday night. Arizona is 3-1 against Anaheim this season. 

Get in touch with Jose Romero at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.