Friday, November 01, 2013
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Coyotes top Predators 5-4 in shootout

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[November 01, 2013]  GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Mikkel Boedker scored the lone shootout goal in the fifth round to lift the Phoenix Coyotes to a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Thomas Greiss made 36 saves and stopped all five shootout attempts for the Coyotes, who rallied from a 3-0 deficit.

Jordan Szwarz scored his first NHL goal and Derek Morris and Shane Doan also scored for Phoenix, which has points in 10 of its past 11 games.

David Legwand had a goal and two assists -- all in the first period -- and Matt Hendricks, Eric Nystrom and Paul Gaustad also scored for the Predators.

Nashville was playing the first game of a franchise-record 17-day, seven-game road swing to accommodate the Country Music Awards on Nov. 6 at Bridgestone Arena.

Gaustad gave the Predators a 4-2 lead on a rebound at 4:15 of the third before the Coyotes rallied.

Doan cut the lead to 4-3 on a power-play goal from the bottom of the left circle at 6:16.

A little more than two minutes later, Doan found a streaking Antoine Vermette skating down the slot behind the Predators' defense.

Defenseman Seth Jones, who had started toward the bench for a line change, hooked Vermette down but not before the center slid the puck between Carter Hutton's pads.

Hendricks gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 9:00 of the first period, taking a long outlet pass from Legwand at the Phoenix blue line and scoring from the top of the right circle.

Nystrom made it 2-0 at 14:12, fighting off Lauri Korpikoski in front of the net and scoring off a pass from Patric Hornqvist standing at the bottom of the left circle.

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Nashville had a two-man advantage for 62 seconds near the end of the period and Legwand took advantage, bouncing a shot from just off the goal line right of the net off the right skate of Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek standing at the top of the crease.

Michalek set up Szwarz early in the second with a cross-ice pass and the rookie, playing in his second career game, lofted a soft wrist shot toward the net which slid under Hutton's glove.

Morris cut the lead to 3-2 at 9:51 of the period on a rising slap shot from the top of the right circle.

Doan nearly tied the game with six minutes left in the period, slipping a shot between Hutton's pads, but Viktor Stalberg reached behind the goalie and cleared the puck inches off the goal line.

Hutton finished with 21 saves.

NOTES: Coyotes coach Dave Tippett tied Bobby Francis for first place on the wins list with 156. ... Phoenix is one of four teams in the league which has not lost at home in regulation (5-0-1). ... Doan has three goals and an assist in five career games on Halloween. ... Nashville is unbeaten in regulation when scoring first (5-0-1). ... Hendricks left the game 33 seconds into the second period with an upper-body injury after a collision with Morris. ... Coyotes C Jeff Halpern missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Legwand has seven points -- a goal and six assists -- in his past six games. ... Phoenix has been outscored 17-5 in the first period. ... Szwarz was recalled from Portland of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. ... Phoenix leads the league with 40 points scored by defensemen.

[Associated Press; By JONATHAN DALTON]

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

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