Brad Richardson scored four goals as the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz.

Alex Galchenyuk also scored, and Vinnie Hinostroza and Richard Panik each had three assists for the Coyotes, who have won five consecutive games and eight of their past 10 to pull within a point of idle Minnesota and Colorado, who entered the day holding the two Western Conference wild-card berths. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves to beat the Canucks for the fourth time in as many meetings this season.

Tanner Pearson and Antoine Roussel scored for Vancouver, which lost for the second time in as many nights and dropped to 3-7-3 in its past 13 games. Goalie Thatcher Demko, playing in the third game of his NHL career, stopped 19 of 24 shots.

Richardson, who scored three goals last season, netted his first hat trick since October 2010 while he was with the Los Angeles Kings. It gave him a career-high 16 goals, breaking his previous best of 14 set in 2006-07. It was the first four-goal game by a Coyotes player since Keith Tkachuk in 1997.

Richardson opened the scoring at 11:58 of the first period. He exited the penalty box after serving a minor penalty for tripping and took a long lead pass from Lawson Crouse that sent Richardson on a breakaway down the left wing. Richardson beat Demko with a wrist shot.

The Canucks tied it at 14:01 of the first as Pearson, playing in his second game with Vancouver after being acquired in a deadline-day deal with Pittsburgh, scored on a breakaway after taking a stretch pass from Ryan Spooner.

Richardson scored 44 seconds later after a scramble in front to put the Coyotes up 2-1 after one period.

Richardson made it 3-1 at 11:49 of the second, taking a drop pass from Panik as the trailer on a two-on-one break and putting the puck into an open net.

Galchenyuk scored a power-play goal at 17:25 of the second to give Arizona a 4-1 advantage.

Roussel pulled the Canucks within 4-2 at 6:29 of the third, but Richardson scored on a two-on-one break with Hinostroza at 8:03 to make it 5-2.

Arizona's Derek Stepan left in the third period with a lower-body injury after being checked into the end boards. Stepan clutched his left knee after dropping to the ice.

--Field Level Media