"It's a grind down there with the bus
trips," Klinkhammer said. "You see guys getting
called up and you try not to be negative. You're like, 'When is it
going to be my shot?' "
He's likely to get more opportunities after
scoring twice on Sunday as the Coyotes beat the Carolina
Hurricanes 5-3 at PNC Arena on Sunday. In a game that saw the
teams combine for 18 minor penalties, Klinkhammer scored a pair of
even-strength goals, including the game-winner. He tied the game at
2-2 in the second period, whacking away at a loose puck in the
crease, then drilled a shot past Hurricanes goaltender Cam
Ward on a 2-on-1 at 22 seconds of the third period for a 4-3
lead. It wasn't too long ago that Klinkhammer wondered if his NHL
debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010-11 might leave him with a
single NHL game to his credit. But after 15 games with the Ottawa
Senators the following season, he put up with 11 points in 22 games
for the Coyotes in 2012-13 to earn a two-year contract. Now he's
making the most of the skills he honed in the AHL for so many years.
"I just try to be reliable. I don't do
anything fancy," Klinkhammer said. "Maybe it's not
the top-end NHL skill, but I can definitely get by in the AHL for
sure. I was just consistent down there and put up a few points."
The Coyotes are putting up a few points too,
thanks to a three-game winning streak to round out a five-game road
trip. Now 4-2-0 on the season, Phoenix seems to have put lopsided
losses to the San Jose Sharks and the New York Islanders behind them.
"We've stabilized our game, for sure,"
Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "When you go on the road for
five games, your backs are against the wall. Winning three out of
five road games is going in the right direction. Hopefully we can go
home and keep playing the right way."
The Coyotes started out strong when Mikkel
Boedker knocked in a rebound in the first period. Hurricanes
captain Eric
Staal tied the game before the first intermission. After Riley
Nash gave Carolina its first lead of the game in the second
period, Klinkhammer scored the first of his two goals. Then the game
took a few unusual turns. Eight seconds after Klinkhammer's goal,
Carolina starting goalie Anton
Khudobin left the game after taking an awkward spill. He came out
to play a puck in the top of the left circle, but fell to his knees.
After making his way back to the crease, he signaled the bench for
help and needed assistance to skate off the ice on one leg. He
stopped 18 of 20 Phoenix shots before being replaced by Ward. After
the game, Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller had no update on Khudobin, but
conceded that it "didn't look good the way he came off."
Khudobin will be evaluated again on Monday. As the second period
progressed, Phoenix began a parade to the penalty box. The Coyotes'
penalty kill fended off 1:56 of Carolina power-play time, relying on
Lauri
Korpikoski, Martin
Hanzal and Zbynek
Michalek during one key stretch to keep the Hurricanes at bay.
"You try to stay tight and let them shoot
from the outside," said Korpikoski, whose one-timer gave
Phoenix a 3-2 lead a short time later. "You try to take the
most dangerous passes away through the triangle. The goalie was a big
part of it too. They got a couple chances, but nothing through the
seam. Those are the ones that hurt you."
Phoenix goalie Mike
Smith stopped 31 shots for his third win. In all, the teams
combined for 18 minor penalties, 11 to Phoenix and seven to Carolina.
Carolina's Jeff
Skinner scored for the second straight game, tying the game at
3-3 in the final minute of the middle period with a power-play goal.
But Klinkhammer beat Ward to the short side to put Phoenix ahead to
stay. Shane
Doan, who was held scoreless in his first five games, gave the
Coyotes a two-goal cushion when he beat Ward at 7:11. For a team at
the end of a road trip, the Coyotes had just enough offense left in
the tank to finish off the Hurricanes.
"It's funny, our M.O. in the past has
always been that we work hard and try to do everything right inside
our system," Doan said. "But slowly we've been
adding more and more skill. Take Mikkel
Boedker and Oliver
Ekman-Larsson and Keith
Yandle and Radim
Vrbata. Now they bring in Mike
Ribeiro. All of a sudden, there are a lot of guys who can make
plays. That's exciting for me. We're definitely getting better."
The Hurricanes can't say the same. "I'm
not very happy at all," Muller said. "A few guys
came ready to battle and play their game, but we had too many
passengers tonight and some of our top guys didn't bring their 'A'
game. We just didn't put the work into it today. I didn't like our
compete level or our life today. You've got to create the intensity
in these afternoon games. We set ourselves up to go out and have a
good third period, but we didn't bring it."
The Coyotes are clicking as they head home for six
of the next eight games. They will rely on some of the high-skill
guys, and they'll take whatever contribution they can get from
Klinkhammer, who knows he has something to offer in the NHL.
"I know it doesn't work out for everyone,
but I'm thankful every day to be here. I love it. It's a lifetime of
hard work paying off."
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