GLENDALE, Ariz. — The St. Louis Blues scored five straight goals in 5:07 in the second period of a 7-4 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Monday.
Jordan Kyrou scored four points (two goals, two assists) and Klim Kostin had two goals for the Blues, who have won their first two games this season. Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Binnington made 22 saves.
“It was a momentum game,” Kyrou said. “We had a lot of momentum in those five to 10 minutes. We got a lot of goals in there, which is huge for us.”
Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist, and Phil Kessel and Shayne Gostisbehere each had three assists for the Coyotes (0-2-1) in their home opener.
“It’s embarrassing … we were talking that when things get tough, we turned selfish,” Keller said. “I liked our first period, and then we just totally got away from it. They’re a good team and that’s what happens.”
Carter Hutton allowed six goals on 21 shots and was pulled in the second period. He has allowed 14 goals on 46 shots in two games, including an 8-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Karel Vejmelka made 11 saves in relief.
Faulk tied it 2-2 on a power play at 11:10 of the second after Hutton lost his stick for the first of the five unanswered goals.
Kyrou, who had 14 goals in 55 games last season, scored unassisted off Ryan Dzingel‘s turnover at 12:46 to give the Blues a 3-2 lead.
“I want to come in and be an impact player and help this team win,” Kyrou said. “The biggest thing for me is playing the right way.”
Kostin’s first goal, and the second of his NHL career, made it 4-2 at 14:40.
“I saw a lot of skates in front of me, and I just closed my eyes and shot it,” Kostin said.
Kostin scored again 47 seconds later at 15:27 for a 5-2 lead, with 19-year-old rookie forward Jake Neighbours getting his first NHL assist.
“That’s awesome to see,” Kyrou said. “I remember when I got my first point and was super excited, so obviously we’re all happy for him.”
Kyrou’s second goal at 16:17 chased Hutton and extended the Blues lead to 6-2.
Christian Fischer cut it to 6-3 at 5:25 of the third, and Ilya Lyubushkin‘s second NHL goal made it 6-4 at 8:23.
Ivan Barbashev scored at 12:25 for the 7-4 final.
Keller gave Arizona a 1-0 lead at 5:26 of the first period.
Pavel Buchnevich scored on a 2-on-1 with Kyrou for his first goal with St. Louis at 7:05 to tie it 1-1. He was traded to the Blues by the New York Rangers on July 23.
Lawson Crouse made it 2-1 at 3:58 of the second, just after a power play created by Buchnevich’s match penalty for a head-butt on Crouse ended.
The loss has Andre Tourigny still seeking his first win as Coyotes coach.
“It was a 2-1 game and then the next shift we started to get individual and tried to force it,” Tourigny said. “We weren’t as relentless as we can be, and we paid for it.”
The Blues have twice before scored five goals faster than they did in the second period (5:04 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on Jan. 31, 1995, and 5:05 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 26, 1985).
“It’s crazy at the start of every year, but this is a good start to the season for us, two big wins, and we’ve got to keep it rolling,” St. Louis forward Tyler Bozak said.
NOTES: Thirteen Blues players had at least one point. … It’s the first time the Coyotes have gone the first three games of a season without a win since 2017-18, when they got off to a 0-10-1 start. … Kostin scored the two fastest goals by a Blues player since Keith Tkachuk scored twice in 33 seconds against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 1, 2001. … St. Louis is 2-0-0 for the first time since 2017-18. … The Coyotes played their first division game since switching from the Pacific Division to the Central this season. … Keller has scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 20 games against his hometown Blues.
