Sharks winning streak stopped at seven by Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The San Jose Sharks had a seven-game winning streak end with a 6-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Wednesday.

It was the longest active winning streak in the NHL.
"We just weren't good enough, and it's tough because we were on such a nice run," Sharks forward Logan Couture said. "You never want to go crazy when you lose, but you're disappointed, especially when it's a Pacific] Division game and a game in our mind that's winnable."
***[WATCH: [All Sharks vs. Coyotes highlights]*
Christian Fischer and Lawson Crouse each had a goal and an assist, and Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves in his fourth consecutive win for the Coyotes (21-22-3).
"Look at the (Western Conference) standings right now, and it's wide open. We have a lot of injuries, but we're finding ways to get points," Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. "We've got to try to get as many points as we can."

Backup Aaron Dell made 35 saves for the Sharks (28-14-7), who defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Tuesday. San Jose is 16-4-2 since Dec. 2, losing twice to Arizona.
"It wasn't our best effort. Dug a hole early and got behind, and didn't do enough to come back," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "You have to give them credit. They were rested and played with a lot of energy. We were uncharacteristically sloppy, a little soft."
Crouse scored on Arizona's first shot of the game. The puck deflected off Dell's glove at 2:31 of the first period for a 1-0 lead.

Richard Panik made it 2-0 on a breakaway at 4:39. It was the Coyotes' 12th shorthanded goal of the season, second in the NHL to the Calgary Flames' 14.
"They knew we played last night, and they jumped on us right away," Couture said. "The best teams find a way to win those games, and we've been doing that over the last month and a half. But, tonight, unfortunately, we didn't."
Kevin Labanc scored from the slot off a rebound at 6:53 to make it 2-1. It was his first goal in 15 games, and he was moved up from the fourth line to a line with Couture and Timo Meier later in the game.

Fischer's wraparound banked off Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson's skate to make it 3-1 at 5:05 of the second.
"[Clayton Keller] was calling for it right in front of the net, and I tried throwing it to him, and it bounced and went in," Fischer said. "It was a goal we'll take; it was crucial at the time."
Keller intercepted Karlsson's pass to set up a goal by Ekman-Larsson for a 4-1 lead at 7:50 of the second. Ekman-Larsson tied Teppo Numminen for most goals by a defenseman in Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets history (108).
"We had a lot of guys contribute," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "I think everybody did something for us to win this game. They are a [Stanley] Cup favorite, so it was nice to win that game."
Evander Kane scored from the high slot at 10:15 of the second to make it 4-2, and Couture scored a power-play goal at 15:08 of the third to get the Sharks to within 4-3.

"The energy for us was really good from puck drop to the end of the third," Fischer said. "They got that power-play goal and got within one, but [Kuemper] made really great saves, guys were making smart plays, blocking shots."
Alex Galchenyuk and Josh Archibald scored empty-net goals at 18:02 (power play) and 19:11 for the 6-3 final score.
"Their young guys feel like they have something to prove, and it's always a challenge playing these guys," Couture said.

They said it

"We were on a roll, and you always want to win as many games as possible, keep that streak going. We're obviously not happy about this loss. We've done some good things, played some great hockey, and we've got to go back to that." -- Sharks forward Timo Meier
"We're still out of it (a playoff spot), so we can't stop working. We need all the points we can get. It's nice knowing we're playing good hockey right now, but we've got to keep going. We need some really big points here." -- Coyotes forward Christian Fischer

Need to know

The Sharks allowed more than two goals for the first time in seven games. … San Jose forward Marcus Sorensen played his 100th NHL game. … Dell is 4-1-1 against the Coyotes but has lost his past two starts against them. … Galchenyuk has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games. … Forward Jordan Weal had an assist on Fischer's goal, his first point since being acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.

What's next

Sharks: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)