Phoenix Coyotes' Radim Vrbata gets only goal while Mike Smith shuts out Los Angeles Kings 1-0
Phoenix’s determined goalie, Mike Smith, posted his 15th career shutout by blocking all 28 shots on his net as the Coyotes edged the Los Angeles Kings, 1-0, on Thursday night, February 16, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The Coyotes have made a wild comeback since a disappointing start to the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season as they picked up their impressively, sixth victory in the past seven matchups, losing only a single contest against the Vancouver Canucks in a 2-1 shootout.
"We're deserving to win right now," Smith said. "At the start of the season maybe we didn't deserve to win some games. We lost some games that we deserved to win. Right now we're finding ways to win but we're doing it the right way. That makes it that much better in the room here."
A number of fights broke out in the opening 20 minute period as Dustin Brown and Shane Doan exchanges fists while Martin Hanzal and Mike Richards had a showdown of their own and Colin Fraser and Raffi Torres kept the fighting going in the final moments of the first.
Radim Vrbata made the only goal of the game during 15:59 of the second period on a power play opportunity as Jack Johnson of Los Angeles Kings was booked for delaying the game.
"He's phenomenal," Phoenix Coyotes head coach, Dave Tippett, said. "He's one of the purest skilled guys that we have, and he's using his skill to have an effect on our team. He's having a heck of a year for us."
The 30-year-old Radim Vrbata, now has 48 points this season so far and is ranked seventh in the league for the 27 goals he has under his belt.
He has been a leading player for the team ever since he was picked up prior to the 2009-2010 regular season and continues to be one.
Phoenix is definitely focused and hope to continue what has now become a tradition of winning as they host Dallas Stars on Saturday while Los Angeles Kings host Calgary Flames on the same day.
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