The Phoenix Coyotes beat the best team in the NHL, the Nashville Predators, Thursday night 3-2.

Coach Wayne Gretzky surprised all of us when he gave goaltender Curtis Joseph the start in tonight's game. Clearly, he was the best player on the team last night facing 40 shots and stopping 38. I thought that he wouldn't start due to the energy he expended against the Anaheim Ducks.

He earned the right for another start.

Darcy Hordichuk wanted to set the tone of the game by going right after Georges Laraque.

I have to hand it to the guy going after someone who is almost twice his size. Hordichuk, in my mind, lost the fight, and earned the extra minor penalty for roughing.

The Phoenix Coyotes give up their 11th short-handed goal thanks to Steve Sullivan.

However, Jeremy Roenick ties the game midway through the first period with his first goal on a televised game.

For the next period and a half of the game, the Coyotes and the Predators punched and counterpunched trying to score the next goal.

Ed Jovanovski was called for tripping and Jason Arnott scored his 19th of the season on the power play helping his team recapture the lead at the 5:29 mark of the third period.

Minutes later, four Coyotes players crashed the net and Shane Doan put away the loose puck behind goaltender Tomas Vokoun. The puck went off the skate of David Legwand and the Coyotes catch a break tying the game again at two.

On every scrum and on every opportunity, Nick Boynton tried to get himself involved physically in the game. However, it wouldn't be a crushing check, or an altercation that would help his team succeed.

It would be a perfect pass to Yanic Perreault.

Defenseman Keith Ballard continues to show the NHL and his team each and every night his value to the franchise. He gave Joseph needed support and made crushing hits in an attempt to change momentum to his hockey club.

Curtis Joseph was terrific once again making key saves at key times in the hockey game. One would think that with his age and the fact he had to play so hard last night that he would have run out of gas. He just got stronger and tougher as the game wore on.

On Saturday, the Minnesota Wild comes to town and it's an important four point game as the Wild currently sits in the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Original post by PB and software by Elliott Back

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