RALEIGH, N.C. _ On the Carolina Hurricanes' home schedule, it looked like a nondescript pre-Christmas game: Dec. 16, Arizona.
Who knew it would have a must-win feel to it?
If it was must-win, the Canes won it 3-0 at PNC Arena as Petr Mrazek earned his first shutout of the season with 23 saves.
Warren Foegele and Andrei Svechnikov had second-period goals and Sebastian Aho scored in the third for the Canes, who couldn't hold a lead Friday against the Washington Capitals and lost 6-5 in a shootout.
That was enough for Mrazek, who didn't face a lot of shots from the Coyotes but stopped all that came at him in his 15th career shutout.
Mrazek's last game against Arizona was memorable, but for the wrong reasons. The Coyotes won 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 2 and Mrazek suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out a month.
Mrazek had some strong play in front of him Sunday and also showed some feistiness. When the Coyotes' Lawson Crouse whacked his glove after he had smothered the puck, Mrazek quickly rose to give Crouse a hard shove.
The Canes (14-13-5) had lost six of seven games and their season seemingly was at a tipping point. Despite the win Sunday, the urgency for Carolina will remain in the final three games of its homestand before Christmas.
Foegele seemed as much relieved as happy after his second-period goal.
After center Clark Bishop put a strong forechecking hit on the Coyotes' Nick Cousins, Foegele won a battle for the puck along the boards and got it out to Brett Pesce at the point. Pesce went cross-ice to Calvin de Haan, who unloaded a shot.
With Phil Di Giuseppe planted in front of goalie Aldin Hill, Foegele went to the net and was in perfect position to collect the rebound and bang it in.
It was Foegele's fourth goal of the season but his first since Oct. 9 against Vancouver, the fourth game of the season. He lifted his arms around his head, letting out a scream.
Svechnikov's goal was his ninth and third in three games and was a no-doubter off the rush. Justin Williams got things moving with a pass to Justin Faulk, and Svechnikov hammered the puck past Hill off a Faulk setup pass _ Williams extending his point streak to five games.
The Coyotes (14-16-2) were 2-13-1 when losing after two periods but one of those two wins came in impressive fashion on Friday. Arizona trailed the New York Rangers by three goals in the third at Madison Square Garden and rallied for a 4-3 overtime win on a Derek Stepan goal.
Hill brought some impressive numbers into the game: a 4-0-0 road record and 1.16 goals-against average. He has given the Coyotes a lift after the loss of Antti Raanta.
Another prototypical tall NHL goalie, the 6-6 Hill kept the game scoreless in the first with back-to-back stops on rapid-fire shots by Jordan Martinook and then Aho. Hill made another big stop on a Aho breakaway early in the third to keep it 2-0 after Aho hopped out of the penalty box, but Aho then scored his 12th of the season and fifth in the past five games.
Aho's score came 25 seconds after the Coyotes had a potential goal disallowed. Alex Galchenyuk tipped the puck past Mrazek but was ruled to have had his stick about the crossbar.
