The way the Coyotes played in the first period on Thursday, it’s hard to blame the team’s 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on rust from the NHL All-Star break.
The Coyotes paced the early play both offensively and defensively while taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but the Stars rattled off three goals in the second period and added an empty-netter in the third to hand Arizona its second straight loss.
“It was one of those first periods where you wish you came out and it was two- or three-nothing,” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said.