Charlie Coyle was the hero for the Bruins against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night, but the third-line center admitted he wasn’t trying to be.
Coyle potted the game-winner for Boston with less than four minutes left to play to break open a tied game and secure a 3-2 victory for the home team. His backhanded shot sailed past the right side of Arizona netminder Karel Vejmelka — but that wasn’t exactly what Coyle was going for.
Instead, he was trying to get the puck over to Craig Smith, and for good reason. Smith is red-hot, extending his impressive scoring streak by potting the first two Bruins goals Saturday.
“It’s not too often I think shot first,” Coyle told reporters following the game. “I probably should. It’s a tie game so you want to make the appropriate play … On the other hand, Smitty’s got two goals, right? But you gotta play hockey. … I wanted to take it to the net and create a rebound if anything, maybe Smitty puts it home, but I got a little lucky with the placement.”
By the end of the night, Coyle, Smith and their linemate Trent Frederic all had two points on the night, which was just the latest iteration in what really has been a successful stretch for them.
They will look to keep it going Tuesday on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.
