Phoenix Coyotes Win Fifth Road Game Beating the Dallas Stars 5-2
The Phoenix Coyotes win streak extends to seven in a row with a victory over the Dallas Stars 5-2 and pick up all ten points on their road trip. Tonight was the first time the Coyotes beat the Stars this season and the first victory against the team since March.
The Stars get the lead first with a goal by Niklas Hagman. Eric Lindros made a brilliant pass to Hagman from his knees right on Hagman’s stick. He punched it in for the Stars first goal of the night.
Knowing that the Coyotes needed a boost and holding Matthew Barnaby accountable for his actions earlier in the season, Josh Gratton challenges Barnaby to a bout at 8:42 in the first period that looked to be a draw for both men as they fought to exhaustion.
The Coyotes answer two minutes later starting with an Ed Jovanovski blast from the blue line that ricocheted off a Stars player. Travis Roche picked up the loose puck and skated forward towards Stars goaltender Marty Turco in the Stars zone. He dekes a defender and another poke checks the puck away. Roche takes control of the puck and pushes it underneath Turco tying the game at one apiece.
Halfway through the second period, the Coyotes go on a power play after a roughing penalty was called on Antti Miettinen. Jovanovski passes the puck to Ladislav Nagy who sends it down to Yanic Perreault parked at the right side of the net. He makes a perfect pass to Jovanovski as he travels toward the net from the weak side and Jovanovski puts the puck behind Turco and the Coyotes take the lead 2-1.
On the third goal, scored on another power play for the Coyotes, Keith Ballard keeps the puck inside the Stars blueline. Ballard passes it to Nagy who shoots the puck from the right circle. The rebound comes off of Turco and Nagy follows up his shot and passes it back to Shane Doan who puts it away.
The Stars would threaten a comeback and score the next goal on a 5-on-3 power play. The two-man advantage carried over from the waning seconds of the second period to the early seconds of the third period. The 5-on-3 almost expired without a goal by the Stars because of some brilliant saves by goaltender Mikael Tellqvist. However, Coyote killer Jere Lehtinen scored the Stars second goal from a rebound chance by Phillip Boucher.
The Coyotes would add an insurance goal when the puck was intercepted by Steven Reinprecht creating a 4-on-2 rush down the ice. Reinprecht gains the Stars zone and passes the puck to Oleg Saprykin who dishes it to Owen Nolan, and Nolan scores his 11th goal of the season extending the lead for the Coyotes 4-2.
In the last minute of the game, head coach Dave Tippet pulls Turco and Doan was able to put the puck in the empty net and clinch the game for the Coyotes.
There were two pivotal moments in this hockey game. The first came with the Gratton scrap in the first period. Teams should realize that when they involve themselves in altercations with the Coyotes, the momentum usually turns to the Coyotes. When Gratton is in the lineup, the Coyotes are now 16-8-1. I’ve said it before that this kid brings passion to the ice and he has more than earned his spot on this team.
We needed a goaltender to give Curtis Joseph breaks to keep him sharp. What we ended up with is a guy that is competing for the top spot. Mikael Tellqvist has been outstanding and is the perfect compliment to the future hall-of-famer Curtis Joseph.
Finally, with the resurgence of Owen Nolan and the pickup of Yanic Perreault, the Coyotes get a re-start to the awful way they started this season. Many can question the acumen of Wayne Gretzky or Michael Barnett, but somehow they have pieced together a team that doesn’t quit and keeps moving forward. No one wanted these players, but they are playing well here. I wonder why?
John Buccigross can write whatever he wants and he can criticize all he wants about how issues developed out here in the desert southwest, but even he cannot deny the rebirth of the Phoenix Coyotes. Some part of me believes that they read his column too and looked at it for inspiration. I wonder what he’ll write next?
Original post by PB and software by Elliott Back
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Posted by Matt Blake
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