Coyotes rally for 5 goals, send off fans with win in Gila River Arena finale

Friday night at Gila River Arena was loaded with mixed emotions against the backdrop of the final game in Glendale for the Arizona Coyotes.

The sense of sadness from longtime fans at leaving the building after 19 years, with the excitement of a temporary future at Arizona State University's multipurpose arena. The Coyotes falling behind 4-0 in the first seven minutes of the game, then rallying to win 5-4 before one of the largest crowds of the season, with Shayne Gostisbehere breaking the tie just over halfway through the final period. And finally, the unfavorable reaction from some fans for President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez during an on-ice interview, juxtaposed with the applause and ovations for former longtime captain Shane Doan and former Coyote Jeremy Roenick.

All left the arena happy. The Coyotes bid farewell to Gila River Arena with a memory for the ages on the last night of hockey in their longtime home, a comeback victory after all seemed lost with a dreadful start to the game.

"Obviously not the best start when they score on the first three shots, but it just shows the resilience of our team and just what we’ve been going through all year," Gostisbehere said, "and it’s cool to end it on a good note here in Glendale.”

The Coyotes scored five unanswered goals, but that was well after head coach André Tourigny called time out 2 minutes and 51 seconds into the game. After the Predators made it 4-0, starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka was pulled from the net and Harri Säteri replaced him.

Tourigny said in the timeout, he talked to the team about physicality, and that the players needed to play with more emotion and enthusiasm.

Then the Coyotes woke up and found some offense. Gostisbehere made it 4-1 before the end of the first period, then Boko Imama and the Predators' Mark Borowiecki, a pair of enforcers, got into fight that injected more energy into the building.

The second period saw Travis Boyd and Jack McBain, two players who will be in the organization next season, score goals less than four minutes apart.

Early in the third period, Michael Carcone ripped a slap shot into the net off JJ Moser's pass, and the Coyotes had roared all the way back from a four-goal deficit.

Gostisbehere scored off a faceoff, Alex Galchenyuk getting his second assist of the night.

After Vejmelka was charged with four goals on six shots faced, Säteri stopped all 27 shots the Predators took on net.

What started out as a thud of an ending for the Gila River Arena era turned out to be an entertaining final act, even if lines for food and beverages in the upper concourse were long and time-consuming. The comeback certainly seemed worth it.

"We have really good fans down here. We have great fans. Passionate about the team, passionate about hockey and (Friday) was a great example of that," Boyd said. "It was so much fun out there and ... I expect that kind of atmosphere every single game next year and I think it will be a hard building to come into and win next year and that’s certainly going to make it a lot of fun playing every night.”

Truly, there were many who wanted to be present for the final Coyotes game at Gila River Arena, the rebuilding Coyotes surpassing 15,000 in attendance for just the second time this season.

The fans who got there early received commemorative tickets, the back of them autographed by the entire team. The mood was somewhat somber as fans walked into the building, despite the size of the crowd.

No longer needed: A city and a hockey team part ways after 19 dramatic years

The Coyotes ended up with one of the worst records in the NHL, 25-50-7, as they finished the first season of a rebuild under General Manager Bill Armstrong. They won three straight games to end the season and lost their shot at the most chances for the top overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. But for one night, not many seemed to be concerned with the future.

It was all about one more chance to say goodbye to the Coyotes' first true home of their own.

Just before the opening faceoff, a video was played on the scoreboard honoring the Coyotes' Gila River Arena era, with highlights of the team's epic 2012 playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. Then Coyotes players from the past took part in a ceremonial puck drop, including Roenick, Doan, Ray Whitney, Tyson Nash, and Paul Bissonnette.

"I raised my kids here (in Arizona). I love this team and I love these fans. So I just want to say thanks to all these fans for supporting all these years," Roenick said in an in-arena interview during a break in the first period.

When it was over, the Coyotes raised their sticks to the crowd in appreciation and basked in the loudest cheers of the season. Friday’s game was the fourth time in Coyotes/Jets franchise history that the team won a game in which it trailed by four goals. The last instance came on Feb. 8, 2002, before the team moved into Gila River Arena.

According to NHL Stats & Info, the Coyotes were the second team to overcome a three-plus goal deficit and win in consecutive games this season, joining the Panthers who did it on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2. Arizona trailed 3-0 against Dallas on Wednesday and won in overtime.

"When 'Ghost' (Gostisbehere) scored that was the loudest I think I’ve heard the building all year and certainly a fun way to go out," Boyd said, "not only in this building but for our season as well."

Up next

The Coyotes will return to Gila River Arena one more time as a team on Saturday as the team convenes for its exit day before players go their separate ways for the offseason.

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Coyotes rally for 5 goals, send off fans with win in Gila River Arena finale