Radim Vrbata leads Phoenix Coyotes to 5-4 win over Detroit Red Wings
Radim Vrbata lit the lamp in the shootout, as the Phoenix Coyotes used a three goal burst in the final frame to take down Detroit Red Wings 5-4, on Saturday night.
Kyle Turris scored a goal and had an assist, while Mikkel Boedker notched a goal for Phoenix, who halted a five-game slide. Martin Hanzal and Ray Whitney each also tallied a goal, while llya Bryzgalov made 22 saves to earn the victory, which started a three-game
home-stand for the Coyotes.
Darren Helm netted a goal and had an assist, while Johan Franzen added a goal for Detroit, who have lost their last three games. Drew Miller and Valtteri Filppula both also found the net, while Jimmy Howard turned away 32 shots in the loss.
Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock questioned the attitude of his players after the game. He said, "There gets to be a point in your season where you gotta decide if you think you're a championship-caliber team that there's a right way to play. And unless
you get 23 guys doing it the same way and wanting to do it, nothing's going to happen."
The Red Wings got the scoring started for a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the opening stanza. The goal came when Miller let go a slow shot on net from the top of the left circle, which somehow made its way past Bryzgalov.
Franzen then doubled Detroit’s advantage at 2-0, on a power play with three minutes remaining in the first period. It was his 27th goal of the season.
However, Phoenix got on the board to cut the deficit in half at 2-1, less than two minutes later. The play was set up by Adrian Aucoin, who blasted a shot from the high slot which was saved. Turris grabbed the rebound and stuffed it into the net from the
right side.
Detroit restored their two-goal edge at 3-1, with four and a half minutes left in the middle session, on Filppula's 13th goal of the season.
Helm then gave Detroit a 4-1 lead with a short-handed goal with just 12 seconds left in the middle period. He picked up the puck along the boards in the right corner and carried it out front. From there, he ripped a shot past Bryzgalov for his ninth goal
of the season.
Phoenix finally got themselves back into the game by reducing the deficit to 4-2 just two and half minutes into the final frame. The goal came when Boedker capitalised on a miscue from Detroit. Howard blocked a dump-in behind his net and swept the puck out
to a Coyotes’ defender, who then slipped an errant pass in the slot for Boedker to score.
Whitney pulled the Coyotes to within another goal to make it a 4-3 game with five and a half minutes left in the game. The play was set up by Turris, who threw a pass from the left side to the front for Whitney, who then blasted a shot on a turnaround past
Howard for his 13th goal of the season.
The Coyotes then completed the comeback, as Vrbata released a point shot which was redirected home by Hanzal, to tie the game at 4-4 with two minutes left in regulation time.
Vrbata rounded off the scoring at 5-4 in the shootout, as he lifted a backhander past Howard. Jiri Hudler and Todd Bertuzzi then wasted their chances to score, as both hit the puck off the goalpost and the Coyotes held on for the victory.
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