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 Garbutt flipped a puck up the boards and scored on a short-handed
breakaway with 1:16 remaining in regulation to help the Stars snap
an 0-5-2 skid with a 4-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River
Arena.
"It's nice to get off the schneid," Garbutt said. "I was just trying
to hold onto it and make sure I cleared it. I didn't have anyone
really come to me so I just chipped it to myself and skated as fast
as I could."
The Stars' response came after coach Lindy Ruff called out his best
players at Tuesday's practice for a lack of leadership. Dallas had
been outscored 21-9 in the third period this season and had slipped
to the bottom of the Western Conference standings during this skid.
But the Stars broke a tie on left winger Erik Cole's fourth goal of
the season with 4:41 remaining in regulation to give Dallas a 3-2
lead.
 Coyotes left winger Mikkel Boedker scored his sixth of the season
and first in his last 12 games just 58 seconds later to tie the game
at 3-3. But with Dallas right winger Patrick Eaves off for
high-sticking Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek in the face,
Garbutt flipped the puck around flat-footed Arizona defenseman Keith
Yandle before going to his forehand to beat Coyotes goalie Mike
Smith for the game winner.
"It's a big win," Ruff said. "I have to give the guys a lot of
credit for fighting through it. It could have been another game
where it turns and goes the wrong direction for us."
It looked that way early. Defenseman Connor Murphy gave the Coyotes
a 1-0 lead just 1:42 into the game when his seemingly harmless wrist
shot from the point somehow eluded Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen and
found the upper corner of the net. It was Murphy's second goal of
the season.
The Coyotes took a 2-0 lead at the 11:06 mark of the second period
when another unlikely goal scorer, center Joe Vitale, beat Lehtonen
with a perfectly placed snapshot off both posts. It was the first
goal in nearly a calendar year (and 41 games) for Vitale, who last
scored Nov. 30, 2013 against Florida. It also ensured that Dallas
had allowed at least two goals in every game this season.
It appeared the Coyotes were in control, but Dallas center Tyler
Seguin got the Stars on the board with 2:01 left in the second
period. After failing on a wraparound attempt, Seguin collected the
rebound of defenseman Jordie Benn's point shot and lifted it past
Smith, who was down after making two saves.
With Murphy off for interference on a penalty Coyotes coach Dave
Tippett called "a poor call", Seguin scored again just 57 seconds
later from nearly the same spot where he scored the first goal to
even the game at 2-2 after two periods.
[to top of second column] |
Seguin is now tied with New York Rangers forward Rick Nash for the
NHL lead with 12 goals.
"If you want to be a playoff team in this league you'd better find
ways to put games like that away," Tippett said.
The power play has been a major culprit in the Coyotes' inability to
do just that. They lost to the New York Islanders, 1-0, on Saturday
when their power play went 0-for-5. On Tuesday, it went 0-for-6 and
has not scored (0-18) in its last four games. Worse yet, it allowed
the shorthanded goal that decided the game on Tuesday.
"The power play is on the ice with two minutes to go; that's your
best players on the ice," Tippett said. "Are you going to win or you
going to lose? I don't think they thought about losing. It looked
like everybody thought they were just going to ice the puck down the
ice and we just stood around. That's frustrating to watch."
NOTES: The Stars acquired LW Travis Moen from Montreal for D Sergei
Gonchar on Tuesday. Dallas GM Jim Nill told the Dallas Morning News
that moving Gonchar will allow the Stars to find minutes for young
defensemen John Klingberg, Jamie Oleksiak and Jyrki Jokipakka.
Klingberg, the Stars' only right-handed defenseman, moved up to the
team's second pairing against Arizona with Alex Goligoski. ... Moen
was expected to join the team Wednesday in Los Angeles. ... Stars D
Patrik Nemeth (arm laceration), LW Valeri Nichushkin (groin/hip) and
C Cody Eakin (upper body) didn't play. ... Coyotes RW David Moss is
week-to-week with an upper-body injury. ... Coyotes D Keith Yandle
played his 400th consecutive game. That's the third-longest active
streak in the NHL. ... Tippett coached his 391st game with Arizona,
passing Bob Francis for No. 1 on the franchise's all-time list.
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