Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

He’s been a model forechecker, a mainstay on the penalty kill and a spark plug for energy.

But after scoring the game-winning goal that nixed the Coyotes’ four-game losing streak by hustling past one of the NHL’s best defenseman before roofing a backhand over a Stanley Cup champion goalie, winger Jordan Martinook can also be called a speedy opportunist.

“He’s so fast,” captain Shane Doan said. “He doesn’t get the credit. His speed is incredible, but the goal – the goal’s amazing. What a move. What a goal. In the third period to win the game is pretty special.”

Only 22 seconds into the final period of Saturday’s game, Martinook resolved a 2-2 tie by chasing down a stretch pass from Doan before shaking off Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and beating goaltender Jonathan Quick for his fifth goal of the season.

The sequence may have been only the second clincher the 23-year-old rookie has scored this season, but it certainly wasn’t the first time he’s helped key a successful performance.

Actually, Martinook and his accomplices on the third line – Doan and center Brad Richardson – embark on a two-game road trip before the All-Star break that starts Monday in Minnesota against the Wild as arguably the Coyotes’ best unit of late.

“They work. They’re all-in on the work,” coach Dave Tippett said. “ … They’ve got enough skill where they can make things happen, but you watch their goals that they score are usually from physically beating somebody or creating a turnover from getting on top of people. A lot of their goals come just around the crease.”

Of the Coyotes last 40 goals, the trio is responsible for 14 or 35 percent.

In that slump-busting victory over the Kings, they totaled four points and since the beginning of a Western Canada road trip earlier this month – a stretch that Martinook felt solidified the line’s chemistry – they’ve combined for seven goals and 18 points.

Arizona Coyotes' Mike Smith progressing from core muscle injury

“Me and Marty are kind of the workers and just try to get on the forecheck, and Shane pretty much everything he touches goes in,” Richardson said. “So that’s been nice. I think it’s good. Shane’s a really smart player. He’s fun to play with. He shoots the puck a lot, and I’m kind of the passer trying to get the puck to him. Marty works his (butt) off every shift. It’s been fun. I think the biggest thing is we’re reading off each other, and we’re moving our feet.”

The three didn’t open the season together. Doan and Richardson have been a steady tandem, but the addition of Martinook has seemed to flatter each player.

“All three of us like to work hard,” Martinook said. “We just thrive off each other.”

Doan is leading the team in goals with 17, and he’s on pace for 32, which would establish a career-high.

Richardson, who signed a three-year, $6.25 million contract in the summer as a two-way stabilizer, has 12 of his 19 points since the beginning of December and hasn’t been a minus-player in a game since Dec.4.

Arizona Coyotes trying to adjust to tough second-half play

And then there’s Martinook, who has morphed into a valuable presence in the lineup in his first-full season in the NHL. Not only does he handle the unheralded responsibilities – penalty kill, cycle work and energy supplier – but he adds important secondary scoring by tapping into offensive ability that enabled him to score 40 goals in his final junior season in the Western Hockey League.

“I really give him credit because he’s really turned into a real defined player,” Tippett said. “There’s players that do that, they’re scorers in junior but they’re smart enough to find their niche in the game and get to the NHL. He’s a guy he has to put the work in first, but he has decent skill.”

The Coyotes remain a by-committee offense, so they’ll need contributions from all over the lineup to stick in the pack of teams vying for a playoff spot.

But it doesn’t hurt to have one unit as in-sync as this one appears to be.

“We enjoy it,” Doan said. “As a group, we’re having fun with each other and we’re all fairly competitive. It’s just one of those things that really work, and we’re enjoying it.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

Monday night's game

Coyotes at Wild

When: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Xcel Energy Center.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona/KMVP-FM (98.7).

Coyotes update: The Coyotes didn’t practice Sunday, but they did recall winger Christian Thomas from the American Hockey League. Thomas was acquired in a Dec.15 trade with the Canadiens that sent prospect winger Lucas Lessio to Montreal. In 15 games with Springfield, the 23-year-old scored three goals and totaled seven points. Thomas’ addition puts the Coyotes roster at the 23-man limit. Elsewhere around the league, the NHL suspended Kings winger Milan Lucic for one game after roughing defenseman Kevin Connauton in Saturday's game. Lucic punched an unsuspecting Connauton at 6:55 of the third period after Connauton slashed Lucic. Connauton was issued a two-minute minor for the slash, while Lucic was given a two-minute roughing penalty and a game misconduct.

Wild update: The Wild currently sit fifth in the Central Division with 54 points. Minnesota has dropped six of its last seven games. In its most recent game Saturday, the team was edged 4-3 by the Sharks in San Jose. Fourteen of the Wild’s 23 wins have come on home ice. Captain Mikko Koivu leads Minnesota in points with 34. Winger Zach Parise has a team-best 17 goals.