Kapanen has OT winner as Leafs edge Coyotes 3-2 after Arizona goal called back

TORONTO — Kasperi Kapanen scored 3:43 into overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Zach Hyman had two goals in regulation for Toronto (30-19-8), while Alexander Kerfoot added two assists. Jack Campbell stopped 35 shots.

Carl Soderberg and Christian Dvorak replied for Arizona (28-23-8). Adin Hill made 38 saves.

Kapanen, who was forced to sit out a game for being late to practice earlier this month, beat Hill upstairs on a partial breakaway for his 11th goal of the season.

The overtime winner also ended a 13-game goal-less drought for Kapanen.

Hyman took an offensive-zone tripping penalty with 34.3 seconds left in regulation, and it looked like Jakob Chychrun had won it just after the Arizona penalty expired in overtime.

After the Coyotes celebrated on the ice, the goal was overturned after video review for goalie interference on Campbell.

Arizona pushed ahead 2-1 late in the second, Hyman scored his second goal of the night and 16th overall 1:33 into the third when he took a no-look, one-knee feed from John Tavares in the slot.

Campbell made a nice stop on Taylor Hall midway through the third period on an Arizona power play before Hill robbed Kerfoot on a short-handed breakaway on the same man advantage.

Campbell was called upon again on a 2-on-1 with seven minutes to go — stopping Soderberg’s initial shot and the follow-up with his glove even though he couldn’t find the puck as it bounced in the air.

Toronto got a late power play when former Leafs winger Phil Kessel went off for tripping, but Hill was there to deny Auston Matthews on a one-timer.

With not much happening at either end through most of an uninspired opening 40 minutes at a sleepy Scotiabank Arena, Soderberg slotted home his 14th goal of the season with 46.8 seconds left in the middle period off Arizona’s third effort on a scramble in front of Campbell.

The Leafs goalie, who was making his third straight start with No. 1 netminder Frederik Andersen (neck) still not ready to return, had to be sharp earlier in the period with glove saves on Lawson Crouse, Chychrun and Hall. Campbell was acquired along with forward Kyle Clifford in a trade last week with the Los Angeles Kings for winger Trevor Moore and two draft picks.

Following Monday’s 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens where Antti Raanta made 26 saves, Arizona turned to Hill — the club’s third-stringer — with Darcy Kuemper still out injured.

He made a nice stop on another Matthews one-timer on the power play in the second before the centre blasted another shot off the post.

Tavares and Leafs defenceman Justin Holl both played after sitting out Monday’s practice with an illness, while winger William Nylander, who sat out the last two games sick, was back in for the home side. Hyman was also in the lineup despite skipping Monday’s session with what the team called “bumps and bruises.”

Toronto started with a line of Nylander, Matthews and Mitch Marner — an expensive trio that accounts for nearly US$29.5 million in annual average value on the salary cap — but they couldn’t generate much of anything.

Tuesday marked the start of a stretch of four games in six nights that will also see Toronto host Dallas on Thursday before visiting Ottawa on Saturday and Buffalo on Sunday. Looking a bit further ahead, the Leafs play seven games in the next 12 days as they continue to battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Arizona, which played its third game in four nights following Monday’s victory, visits Ottawa on Thursday.

The Coyotes jumped in front just 64 seconds into the opening period on the game’s first shot when Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s blast hit teammate Connor Garland in front. The puck popped into the slot to Dvorak, who buried his 17th with Campbell out of position and at his mercy.

The Leafs woke the crowd out of its slumber at 14:23 when Tyson Barrie’s one-timer hit Hyman in front and went in for his 15th.

Campbell had to be solid at the other end late in the period with three nice stops to keep things tied — one off the stick of Hall and two from Niklas Hjalmarsson.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2020.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press