Josh Doan scores twice in NHL debut, Coyotes get 4 goals in 3rd to beat Blue Jackets

TEMPE, Ariz. - Josh Doan had two goals in his first NHL game, including the go-ahead score with 8:29 left in the third period and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 on Tuesday night.

Nick Bjugstad, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther and Matias Maccelli also scored as Arizona pulled away with four goals in the third period. Karel Vejmelka stopped 24 shots for the Coyotes.

Doan, from nearby Scottsdale, is the son of longtime Coyotes captain Shane Doan and the first Arizona native to play for the franchise. He played collegiately at Arizona State and was called up Monday from Tucson of the AHL, where he led the Roadrunners with 26 goals and 20 assists in 62 games.

"All the guys made it so special, made sure I was calm," said Josh Doan, whose father watched from a suite at Mullett Arena. "I was almost too relaxed and laid back, and I had to figure out how to play my game."

"I tried to keep it simple. I’ve worked on playing around the net, that’s where goals are scored so you got to find yourself in front of those areas.

With the game tied at 2-all, Doan deflected a shot by Maccelli past Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins to put Arizona ahead to stay.

He also scored an unassisted goal in the second period, backhanding the puck past Merzlikins at close range.

"The way he played, not just the goals, he played the right way," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "He was really good, he played with two guys (Maccelli and Jack McBain) who played a really good game as well."

TEMPE, ARIZONA - MARCH 26: Josh Doan #91 of the Arizona Coyotes skates with the puck against Mikael Pyyhtia #82 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Mullett Arena on March 26, 2024, in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Zac BonDurant/Getty Images)

Schmaltz and Guenther’s goals were short-handed. Schmaltz’s was his 20th of the season.

Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski scored for Columbus, which has lost five in a row since it last won on March 16. Merzlikins had 29 saves for the Blue Jackets.

A minute after Doan’s first goal, Michael Kesselring was penalized for tripping, and with 38.8 seconds left in the period, Werenski scored on the power play for Columbus to tie it at 2-2. Werenski assisted on Jenner’s goal and Johnny Gaudreau assisted on both.

Despite the win, the Coyotes were officially eliminated from postseason play on Tuesday when eighth-place Vegas picked up a point in a 5-4 overtime loss at Nashville. The Blue Jackets were ousted from the playoff race Sunday.

Clayton Keller’s five-game goal streak came to an end. It’s the franchise’s longest streak since Daniel Briere had six in January 2001. Keller did have an assist on Maccelli’s goal.

The Blue Jackets had a goal taken off the board in the final minute of the first period when Alexandre Texier was penalized for high sticking before scoring in front of the net.

There were fights in each period. Two minutes into the game, Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier and Arizona’s Liam O’Brien squared off near center ice. Each got five minutes for fighting. Erik Gudbrandson and Arizona’s Josh Brown fought in the second period and with 1:21 to go, the Coyotes’ Michael Carcone and the Blue Jackets’ James Malatesta — also making his NHL debut — exchanged punches.

Blue Jackets: At Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

Coyotes: Host Nashville on Thursday night.