Phoenix 5, Vancouver 4
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees:
Stephen Walkom, Tom Kowal
Linesmen:
Derek Nansen, Don Henderson
Attendance:
18890
By SportsDirect Inc.
COYOTES 5, CANUCKS 4: Antoine Vermette scored a goal and set up two others while Ray Whitney collected three assists as visiting Phoenix overcame an early two-goal deficit.
Captain Shane Doan and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson each recorded a goal and an assist, blueliner Rostislav Klesla and Gilbert Brule also scored and Mike Smith made 39 saves for the Coyotes, who won for the second time in eight games to leap over Colorado and into seventh place in the Western Conference.
Alex Burrows gave Vancouver the lead 2:18 into the game and Ryan Kesler doubled it by converting a cross-slot pass from Henrik Sedin during a power play midway through the first period.
Phoenix battled back to tie it before intermission as Klesla buried a rebound from the high slot and Doan jammed the puck in from near the left post for his first tally in nine games.
Ekman-Larsson and David Booth of the Canucks traded power-play goals in the second before Taylor Pyatt's shot from the left side of the crease bounced off Brule and in with 1:19 left. Phoenix took a 5-3 lead only 98 seconds into the third when Vermette knocked in a rebound from the bottom of the slot during a man advantage.
Defenseman Dan Hamhuis got the Canucks within one with 7:49 left, but they couldn't get the equalizer past Smith, who posted only his second victory in seven starts this month after going 11-0-0 in February.
Burrows added an assist, captain Henrik Sedin set up two scores and Roberto Luongo stopped 28 shots for the Northwest Division-leading Canucks, who fell to 2-4-0 on their seven-game homestand.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Sedin's two-assist effort ended his eight-game point drought. ... Kesler has scored in three straight games. ... The three-point performance was Whitney's third of the season. ... Vermette's goal was only his second in 11 contests with the Coyotes. ... Phoenix won for only the fifth time in 20 visits to Vancouver (5-14-1). ... The Canucks have lost six of eight overall and eight of 10 against the Pacific Division.
Top Game Performances
| Phoenix |
|
Vancouver |
|
Antoine Vermette 3 |
Points |
Alexandre Burrows 2 |
|
Antoine Vermette 1 |
Goals |
Alexandre Burrows 1 |
|
Ray Whitney 3 |
Assists |
Henrik Sedin 2 |
|
Antoine Vermette 1 |
Power Play Goals |
David Booth 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Mike Smith .907 |
Save Percentage |
Roberto Luongo .848 |
|
Mike Smith 39 |
Saves |
Roberto Luongo 28 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Phoenix
|
33 |
5 |
2-2 |
1-3 |
6 |
35 |
| Vancouver
|
43 |
4 |
2-3 |
0-2 |
4 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Vancouver will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Canucks have a W/L % of .558 after a win and .667 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Calgary. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .457 after a win and .528 after a loss.
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