GLENDALE, Ariz. — Phoenix jumped on a tired team early, played sound in its own end and got another superb game from goalie Mike Smith.
This is precisely how the Coyotes need to play — and not a bad way to head into a rare extended break during this strike-shortened season.
Smith stopped 30 shots for his third shutout, Keith Yandle scored in the opening minute of the first period and Mikkel Boedker did the same to start a finishing flourish in the third, lifting the Coyotes to a 4-0 win over the Calgary Flames Monday night.
“It’s rewarding when we play the right way," Smith said after his 22nd career shutout. “Tonight was a great win for our team, a great confidence builder."
Playing in front of a standing-room only crowd at Jobing.com Arena, the Coyotes attacked Calgary early, scoring 41 seconds into the game on a rebound goal by Yandle for his fourth point in two games.
Phoenix kept up the pressure to start the third, getting a goal by Boedker 30 seconds in before pouring it on against a team that played the night before.
Antoine Vermette and Raffi Torres scored later in the third period and each had an assist. David Moss had two assists against his former team and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two assists as well.
The Coyotes also were solid inside their blue line, forcing the Flames out wide and cleaning up any rebounds that came off Smith, winning for the sixth time in eight games.
“It was a solid game throughout, we did a lot of good things in the game, so there are things we can reinforce during practice and hopefully build some momentum on the road," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, whose team doesn’t play again until Saturday.
Calgary faded in the final period after rallying the night before.
Goalie Danny Taylor seemed to recover after giving up the quick goal to Yandle in his first NHL start, but couldn’t sustain it, giving up four goals on 37 shots. The Flames didn’t help him much, unable to get a puck past Smith after scoring three goals in the third period to beat Dallas the night before.
“He was very calm and very poised for his first start in the NHL," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “I think he would have liked to see the second goal (again), but at the same time, if you don’t score goals, you can’t even look at what the goalie did for you because you can’t win if you don’t score."
The Flames have played well lately despite their revolving door of goaltenders.
Starter Miikka Kirprusoff hasn’t played since Feb. 5 because of a sprained knee and Calgary sent Leland Irving to Abbotsford of the AHL after he gave up two goals on four shots in a 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Friday.
Joey MacDonald, picked up off waivers from Detroit last week, earned his first victory with Calgary after the Flames rallied with three goals in the third period for a 4-3 win over Dallas on Sunday night, giving them at least a point in three of four games.
Against the Coyotes, Hartley decided to go with Taylor, whose only previous NHL experience was one period with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2007-08 season.
Phoenix got to him right away, with Yandle punching in a rebound after a sharp-angle shot from Moss, a former Flames forward, caromed off Taylor into the slot.
The Coyotes beat Taylor again early in the third period when a shot by Ekman-Larsson bounced hard off the back boards to the other side of the goal. Taylor dropped to his knees as he scrambled around the crease, but Boedker’s shot slipped between his legs and bounced off his right pad into the goal.
In other games on Monday:
Senators 2
Devils 1
NEWARK, N.J. — Jakob Silfverberg beat Martin Brodeur to his stick side in the shootout and goalie Ben Bishop turned aside 30 shots for his first victory of the season, giving Ottawa a victory over New Jersey.
Flyers 7
Islanders 0
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The line of Claude Giroux, Matt Read and Jakub Voracek combined for three goals and 10 points, helping Philadelphia break a slump with a victory over the New York Islanders.
Avalanche 6
Predators 5
DENVER — Paul Stastny and Jamie McGinn scored 13 seconds apart in the second period and Colorado snapped a nine-game losing streak against Nashville with a win over the Predators.
Maple Leafs 3
Panthers 0
SUNRISE, Fla. — Ben Scrivens notched his second consecutive shutout, and Clarke MacArthur and Nazem Kadri each had a goal and an assist to lead Toronto to a win over Florida.
Canadiens 3
Hurricanes 0
MONTREAL — Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty scored 18 seconds apart in the third period to seal Montreal’s fourth straight win with a victory over Carolina.
Ducks 3
Blue Jackets 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Peter Holland and Ryan Getzlaf scored 21 seconds apart in the first period, sending Anaheim on the way to its fifth consecutive victory.