After dominating the Anaheim Ducks for the first 40 minutes where they had a two goal lead going into the third period, the Ducks come back to win and beat the Phoenix Coyotes 5-4 in overtime.

The last time the Ducks faced the Coyotes at Jobing.com arena was December 23 where the Coyotes beat the Ducks 2-0. Since then, the Ducks have gone 6-12-2 before tonight's game and have struggled in most facets of the game.

The Ducks difficulties looked to continue with goals by Keith Ballard (and a dirty slew-foot by Francois Beauchemin), Owen Nolan, Oleg Saprykin and Mathias Tjarnqvist (scoring his first in a Coyotes sweater).

Nick Boynton would hold Beauchemin accountable for that play against Ballard challenging him to a fight, and the linesmen stepped in to stop the altercation.

Boynton has been defending his teammates since he arrived in the Valley, and tonight was no exception. It is one of the many reasons why the Coyotes brought him here from the Boston Bruins.

Curtis Joseph tried valiantly to keep the lead for the Coyotes in the third period; however, the forwards went cold and the Ducks completely took over. Even though the Ducks began swarming and played desperate hockey, the officials missed an obvious hand pass by Corey Perry and Chris Pronger was able to get one past Joseph that tied the game at four.

In overtime, Travis Roche held his position on the blue line and Teemu Selanne skated into him where Ballard was able to get loose with the puck. The officials called an interference penalty. The Ducks took advantage and Selanne scored the overtime goal and won the game.

The Coyotes played much better tonight than they did on their road trip east, but the last twenty minutes was frustrating to watch. The Ducks came out with a vengeance in the third and played desperate hockey. It's too bad that the Coyotes could not hold on.

Shane Doan stays in the Valley for five more years signing a contract that includes a hefty raise plus a no-trade/no waive clause. The last original Winnipeg Jet, Doan looks to stay in a Coyotes uniform for some time. He asked the management before signing about the future of the Coyotes along with their commitment and vision for winning. He was happy with what he heard.
As much as I am glad that he is here, I do hope for the Coyotes' sake that they are able to hold up their end of the bargain. With Doan, they signed one of the more honorable and classy players of the NHL. Since Tellqvist has proven to be a solid goaltender, and the Coyotes defense looks stable, they are missing two or three key players to round out their scoring attack. Hopefully, they will be able to bring those players in or promote Martin Hanzal and Peter Mueller.

Original post by PB and software by Elliott Back

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