TEMPE, AZ — Josh Doan had two goals including the go-ahead score in his first NHL game and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Nick Bjugstad, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther and Matias Maccelli also scored as Arizona pulled away with four goals in the third period. Doan deflected a shot by Maccelli past Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins with 8:29 left in the third for the go-ahead score. Karel Vejmelka stopped 24 shots for the Coyotes.
The son of longtime Coyotes captain Shane Doan, Josh Doan scored an unassisted goal in the second period to put Arizona ahead 2-1, backhanding the puck past Merzlikins at close range.
Doan, from nearby Scottsdale, is the first Arizona native to play for the franchise. The 22-year-old played collegiately at Arizona State. He was called up Monday from Tucson of the AHL, where he led the Roadrunners with 26 goals and 20 assists in 62 games.
Schmaltz and Guenther's goals were short-handed. Schmaltz's was his 20th of the season.
Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski scored for Columbus, which has lost five straight. Merzlikins had 29 saves for the Blue Jackets, who haven't won since March 16.
A minute after Doan’s first goal, Michael Kesselring was penalized for tripping and with 38.8 seconds left in the period, Werenski scored on the power play for Columbus to tie it. Werenski assisted on Jenner’s goal and Johnny Gaudreau assisted on both.
The Coyotes were officially eliminated from postseason play on Tuesday when eighth-place Vegas picked up a point in a 5-4 overtime loss at Nashville. The Blue Jackets were ousted from the playoff race Sunday.
Clayton Keller's five-game goal streak come to an end. It's the franchise's longest streak since Daniel Briere had six in January 2001. Keller did have an assist on Maccelli's goal.
The Blue Jackets had a goal taken off the board in the final minute of the first period when Alexandre Texier was penalized for high sticking before scoring in front of the net.
There were fights in each period. Two minutes into the game, Mathieu Olivier and Liam O’Brien squared off near center ice. Each got five minutes for fighting. Erik Gudbrandson and Arizona's Josh Brown fought in the second period and with 1:21 to go, the Coyotes' Michael Carcone and the Blue Jackets' James Malatesta — also making his NHL debut — exchanged punches.
NEXT
Blue Jackets: At Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Coyotes: Host Nashville on Thursday night.
