Detroit Red Wings edge past Phoenix Coyotes, by 4-3: NHL Recap
Pavel Datsyuk scored a goal and two assists in the opening period while goalie, Jimmy Howard, turned away 30 of the 33 shots to help the Detroit Red Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3,
in game two of their first-round series at the Joe Louis Arena on Saturday.
“The fact he almost pulled it off … in a Stanley Cup play-off game—it’s really remarkable,” said Jimmy Howard of Datsyuk.
Tomas Holmstrom, Brian Rafalski and Darren Helm each also tallied a goal for the third-seeded Red Wings, which took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference quarter-final series.
Captain Shane Doan lit the lamp twice while Radim Vrbata also notched a goal for the sixth-seeded Coyotes. The goal-tender Ilya Bryzgalov surrendered all four goals on 31 shots in the
loss.
The Red Wings took a 3-0 lead in the first period on the goals from Datsyuk, Rafalski and Helm while the Coyotes failed to score any goal in the first.
In the 11th minute of the first period, Datsyuk made it 1-0 on the power-play when he crept in from the left point and unleashed a wrist-shot through the traffic that went into the net
like a round from a gun.
Rafalski’s goal gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead with less than five minutes to play in the first stanza when he fired a shot from just inside the blue line that beat a screened Bryzgalov.
The Red Wings then went up 3-0 on a goal from Helms with less than a minute remaining in the first period. The goal came when Helm whacked in a rebound off a shot from Datsyuk.
Detroit extended its lead to 4-0 just less than a minute into the middle period when Tomas Holmstrom got in front of the net and deflected a shot from Valtteri Filppula through the legs
of Phoenix's net-minder.
But the Coyotes answered with three consecutive power-play goals to make it a one goal game.
Vrbata put the Coyotes on the board with less than 13 minutes remaining in the middle period when he hit a shot past the Phoenix's net-minder to make it 1-0.
The Red Wings then took two penalties, giving Coyotes a two-man advantage. Detroit had nearly killed it off, but Doan hammered home a shot on a feed from Yandle with less than 12 minutes
remaining in the third to make it a 4-3 game.
"We took too many penalties, which is interesting in itself, but I thought Pavel was real strong," said Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock.
Bryzgalov was benched late in the third period, but the Coyotes couldn't find an equaliser. Red Wings showed more discipline the rest of the way to win its 55th consecutive play-off Contest.
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