Vinnie Hinostroza has become known of late for his less-than-ecstatic reactions to scoring goals. But as Hinostroza notched his first career hat trick in a 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, even he had to give a modest celebration and wear a smile.
Hinostroza scored his 13th, 14th and 15th goals of the season on Thursday at Gila River Arena, a game that provided much-needed space between the Coyotes and the teams chasing them for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
At the end of play Thursday, the Coyotes were three points up on the Minnesota Wild — the team closest to them in the wild-card standings — and just four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division.