Winless Ducks Mauled By Undefeated Coyotes
ANAHEIM (AP) — Anthony Duclair scored the game's first two goals en route to his first career hat trick and Mike Smith made 37 saves for his 28th career shutout, leading the Arizona Coyotes to a 4-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
Rookie Max Domi had a goal and an assist and Martin Hanzal had three assists for the Coyotes, who are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2003-04. Last season they lost 50 games for the only time since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg to Arizona for the 1996-97 campaign.
Duclair, who had only one goal in 20 previous NHL games, completed his hat trick on a short wrist shot at 10:57 of the second period. The 20-year-old left wing was acquired last March in a multiplayer trade that sent defenseman Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers.
Smith, whose shutout was his first since March 4, 2014, has stopped 104 of the 106 shots he's faced in his first three starts. The 10-year veteran had a league-worst 42 losses last season while giving up a league-worst 147 goals and finishing with a 9.04 save percentage.
The Ducks, who have won three straight Pacific Division titles and finished with the best record in the Western Conference in each of the past two seasons, are winless in their first three games following a 2-0 defeat at San Jose and a 2-1 shootout loss at Vancouver in the home opener.
The Ducks had gone 8-0-2 against the Coyotes since a 5-3 loss in the 2012-13 regular-season finale.
Anton Khudobin, playing for his fourth NHL team in seven seasons, made his Ducks debut and gave up three goals on eight shots. He was replaced by Frederik Andersen following Domi's goal at 12:53 of the opening period.
The Coyotes' began their early barrage when Martin Hanzal won a faceoff deep in the Anaheim zone and Duclair beat Khudobin with a 35-foot shot from the slot at 3:16 of the first.
Ducks forward Carl Hagelin was sent off for slashing Oliver Ekman-Larsson at 10:04 of the period, and Duclair poked the puck under Khudobin's leg from the edge of the crease during the ensuing power play.
Domi, the 12th overall pick in the 2013 draft, made it 3-0 about three minutes later. He beat Khudobin high to the glove side with a 25-foot backhander after getting a drop pass from Mikkel Boedker.
NOTES: Andersen stopped Domi on a breakaway at 7:27 of the second period and finished with 20 saves. ... Bobby Francis coached the Coyotes to their last 3-0 start, but they were winless in their next nine games and won only 17 more games before Francis was fired with 20 games left on the 03-04 schedule. ... Anaheim D Clayton Stoner was scratched because of a lower body injury. ... A ceremonial puck drop was made by jockey Victor Espinoza, who last spring rode American Pharoah to horse racing's first Triple Crown since 1978. ... Ducks D Kevin Bieksa played in his 600th regular-season game. ... Khudobin spent the previous two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, going 8-17-6 with a 2.72 goals-against average in 2014-15. The Ducks signed him as a free agent in June 2013. He also played for Minnesota, and Boston.
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