After Martin Hanzal and Ryan White were scratched and left Gila River Arena amid speculation that they had been traded to the Minnesota Wild, the Arizona Coyotes hit the ice in depressing and deflated fashion.
For the first two periods they chased the puck, looked lost without two key players, failed to generate on the power play and couldn’t maintain possession long enough in their offensive zone to create any meaningful scoring chances.
But despite letting in a weak Jack Eichel goal in the first period, Louis Domingue locked down his position and kept the dominant Buffalo Sabres largely at bay, creating an opportunity for the Coyotes to take make amends for their dismal first two periods.