The Coyotes were unable to hold onto a two-goal lead as they lost 5-4 to the Predators in overtime on Saturday night.
The Arizona Coyotes lost 5-4 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday night in heartbreaking fashion, hindering their playoff chances even further.
Going into this game, the Coyotes were on a brutal four-game losing streak, so they were in desperate need of a victory.
This was a big matchup as the Coyotes and Predators were just a few points apart from each other in the standings while in an intense hunt for a wild card spot in the Western Conference with multiple teams in the mix.
From the start this game had a playoff type feel to it. Arizona and Nashville played physically against each other, going back and forth with big-time hits.
The Coyotes were impressive through the first 40 minutes of play. They were able to climb back from two one-goal deficits and the game was tied 2-2 after the second period.
To start the third, the Coyotes caught fire. Juuso Välimäki and Nick Schmaltz scored in the first five minutes of the period which propelled the Coyotes to a 4-2 lead and it seemed they had all of the momentum late into the contest.
From there, everything fell apart for Arizona.
It all started with a costly Nick Bjugstad hooking penalty which led to a Tommy Novak power play goal.
Just a few minutes later, Filip Forsberg tied the game for Nashville and just like that the Coyotes’ two-goal cushion completely disappeared.
The game ultimately went into overtime where it didn’t take long for Ryan McDonagh to score the game-winning goal.
Despite escaping the night with one point, this is still a devastating loss for the Coyotes in a must-win game.
Instead of being three points behind Nashville in the standings, the Coyotes are now six points behind their division rivals.
Arizona really had the win their grasps but undisciplined play and inability to close out down the stretch cost them in a huge way.
The Coyotes are on a five-game losing streak and continue to slip down in the Western Conference standings as hopes for the playoffs are beginning to look grim.
No matter how you slice it, the Coyotes may be in big trouble. If nothing changes over the next few weeks, this team will be right back to a place they are all too familiar with: At the bottom of the Western Conference and selling at the trade deadline.
The Coyotes will be back in action on Monday night with a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers.