GLENDALE, Ariz. — Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves for the Arizona Coyotes in a 1-0 win against the St. Louis Blues at Gila River Arena on Monday.
Clayton Keller scored for the Coyotes (7-6-2), who went 4-2-1 during seven consecutive games against the Blues because of NHL schedule changes due to COVID-19 protocols. It’s the first time in NHL history teams have played each other seven straight times during the regular season.
“It was a fun series, every game was tight and it almost had that playoff-like atmosphere,” Keller said. “They’re a great team over there, so I think this is a step in the right direction for us.”
Jordan Binnington made 18 saves for the Blues (9-5-2), who were shut out for the second time this season.
”I think myself and the other guys have got to find a way to create some offense,” St. Louis captain Ryan O’Reilly said. “I didn’t create anything, and that’s tough as the guy that sees a lot of ice. I wasn’t getting really good looks, and it’s tough.”
Keller gave Arizona a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the second period with a wrist shot from the slot. He has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past five games.
Nick Schmaltz, who assisted on the goal, scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in the seven games. The goal came after Blues forward Zach Sanford turned over the puck in the neutral zone.
“I thought we did a good job of pressuring them,” Keller said. “Even after we got the lead, we did a good job of staying on them, forechecking, just playing the same way whether we were losing or winning.”
Kuemper’s shutout was his first of the season and the 19th of his NHL career.
“It was a 1-0 game, it was a mucking-type game and you’ve got to be able to close them out and we did,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “Darcy never has a bad effort, he’s always there for us and he was again. … He was terrific.”
Five of the seven games were decided by one goal.
“Every game was tight,” Kuemper said. “We were able to pull it out, grind it out and it was a big win. Obviously it’s going to raise our game playing against them. It’s going to help us moving forward, and I thought we got better every game.”
The Blues had four shots on goal during 3:26 of continuous power-play time in the second period, including a two-man advantage for 34 seconds. They were 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-23 during the seven games.
“They’re a tough team to forecheck, their goalie played well and made the saves he had to,” Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. “We worked hard, we competed, and I thought we deserved at least a goal. We just didn’t get the results with the goals.”
The Coyotes and Blues are scheduled to play once more this season (April 17, at Arizona).
“I think we’re all ready to play somebody else,” Schenn said. “That’s enough. We can’t complain or be angry, we’re happy to be playing hockey but, at the same time, it’s going to be nice to play different opponents. We’re banged up, we’ve played some good games but we haven’t played our best hockey.”
NOTES: Blues defenseman Torey Krug (upper body) didn’t play in the third period and coach Craig Berube said he is day to day. … St. Louis had three shots on goal in the third period. … The Coyotes won three of the four games at St. Louis, and the Blues won two of the three games at Arizona. … Blues forward Jaden Schwartz (lower body) and Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) each missed a second straight game and each is day to day.
