Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Sports News

 

 

Red Wings beat struggling Coyotes 3-2

Send a link to a friend

[March 26, 2013]  GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Pavel Datsyuk scored Detroit's second power-play goal in the third period and had an assist, lifting the Red Wings to a 3-2 win over the reeling Phoenix Coyotes on Monday.

Datsyuk set up Johan Franzen's tying goal in the second period and beat Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera with a one-timer midway through the third period, giving him 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in eight games.

Ian White also had a goal and the Red Wings scored on the power play for the eighth straight game to win for the fifth time in six games.

The Coyotes fell behind early again, lost the lead after fighting back and failed on a chance to tie with about 4 minutes left, when Detroit goalie Jonas Gustavsson stopped Lauri Korpikoski for one of his 29 saves.

Martin Hanzal and Rob Klinkhammer scored for Phoenix, which has lost six straight for the first time since 2009.

Phoenix reached a low point of the season on Friday, losing 2-1 to Vancouver at home for its fifth straight loss.

The frustrated Coyotes spent nearly 25 minutes after the game holding a players-only meeting and grim-faced captain Shane Doan said afterward that every player had to be held accountable.

Phoenix had two days to get things straightened out in practice and vowed to be better.

They weren't early against Detroit, allowing the Red Wings to repeatedly set up in front of LaBarbera's crease in the opening minutes.

White took advantage of the traffic 4 minutes into the game, firing a shot from the point that LaBarbera had trouble seeing.

The Coyotes had a great chance less than a minute later, but, fitting the way things have gone for them lately, David Moss' shot from the right circle hit the post, shot across the crease and bounced off the other post.

[to top of second column]

But the Coyotes have been a resilient bunch -- they've made the playoffs without an owner three straight years -- and fought back quickly.

Creating good scoring chances and getting some big rebounds off Gustavsson, Phoenix tied the game on a power play midway through the first period on a nifty redirect by Hanzal on a shot by Radim Vrbata.

Klinkhammer scored later in the period on one of multiple rebounds, giving the Coyotes their first lead since beating the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 on March 12.

It didn't last.

Franzen tied it on a power play in the closing seconds of the second period, one-timing a shot from the slot on a pass from Niklas Kronwall.

Datsyuk then put Detroit up with a power-play goal midway through the third period, punching in his 11th of the season on a pass from Henrik Zetterberg behind the net caromed through the crease.

The Coyotes turned up the pressure in a final flurry, but couldn't beat Gustavsson to reach another low point.

NOTES: LaBarbera got the start after No. 1 goalie Mike Smith suffered an upper-body injury against Vancouver on Friday. ... Kronwall played his 500th career NHL game and scored his 240th point, passing Paul Coffey for seventh in team history among defensemen. ... Moss returned after missing two games with a lower-body injury. ... Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson attended the game. ... Detroit is 7-2-2 its past 11 regular-season games against Phoenix.

[Associated Press; By JOHN MARSHALL]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

< Sports index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor