Phoenix 5, Nashville 3
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 29, 2012
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Marc Joannette, Brad Watson
Linesmen:
Greg Devorski, Derek Amell
Attendance:
17217
By SportsDirect Inc.
COYOTES 5, PREDATORS 3: Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata and Taylor Pyatt had second-period goals as Phoenix outgunned visiting Nashville to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
The Coyotes used a rare offensive barrage to seize a second-period lead and fight off a pair of Predators comeback attempts. The victory puts Phoenix in control of the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Nashville for Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Phoenix struck first at 8:32 of the opening period, as Antoine Vermette redirected a Keith Yandle feed past Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne for his fifth goal of the postseason.
Andrei Kostitsyn drew the Predators even with 2:47 remaining in the frame. The veteran forward gathered a slick pass from Kevin Klein before breaking in alone and beating Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith.
Hanzal put the Coyotes back in front 3:47 into the second, finishing off a deft play in which Vrbata faked he was going around the net before finding Hanzal in front. Vrbata extended the lead just over three minutes later, converting a shot from the slot after Nashville's David Legwand inexplicably sent the puck in front of his own net.
Patric Hornqvist trimmed the deficit at 11:20 after a Ryan Suter blast from the point deflected off his shin pad with the Predators enjoying a man advantage. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Pyatt pounced on a rebound and put it past Rinne.
Nashville took advantage of a power-play opportunity early in the third period to close the gap when Suter scored, but Doan restored the two-goal lead with a redirection of a Derek Morris point shot at 3:36.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Coyotes D Rostislav Klesla left the game early in the first period after taking a puck to the face. He returned in the second frame wearing a full cage. ... Vermette scored just three times in 22 games for the Coyotes in the regular season. ... The teams, which ranked in the top eight in fewest goals against during the regular season, having combined to score 15 goals in the first two games of the series. ... Sunday marked just the second time in eight playoff games that Phoenix didn't need overtime.
Top Game Performances
| Nashville |
|
Phoenix |
|
Ryan Suter 2 |
Points |
Shane Doan 2 |
|
Ryan Suter 1 |
Goals |
Shane Doan 1 |
|
Ryan Suter 1 |
Assists |
Keith Yandle 2 |
|
Ryan Suter 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Pekka Rinne .872 |
Save Percentage |
Mike Smith .909 |
|
Pekka Rinne 34 |
Saves |
Mike Smith 30 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Nashville
|
33 |
3 |
2-2 |
2-2 |
8 |
38 |
| Phoenix
|
39 |
5 |
0-2 |
0-2 |
8 |
35 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .476 after a win and .550 after a loss.
-
Nashville will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Predators have a W/L % of .542 after a win and .647 after a loss.
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