|
 Hanzal had a pair of goals, including his first short-handed tally
since Dec. 4, 2008, and goaltender Louis Domingue made 37 saves as
the Coyotes defeated the Stars 3-1 at Gila River Arena to record
their second win over the Central Division leaders in as many games
this season.
"I don't think Marty scores on a lot of long shots," Coyotes coach
Dave Tippett said, laughing. "He's a real force out there at both
ends of the ice and it's great to see him rewarded with some goals
because he spends a lot of time around the net."
Tobias Rieder also scored for the Coyotes. Ales Hemsky scored for
Dallas, which got 26 saves from goalie Kari Lehtonen but missed a
chance to open a four-point lead on St. Louis for the division lead.
"I think when you take six penalties and three of them are just
mental mistakes, it wasn't a good night for us," Dallas coach Lindy
Ruff said. "We had plenty of chances to score and I thought their
goalie was good, but I didn't think we got enough traffic in front
of him. There were better plays to be made and we didn't make them."
 Arizona took a 1-0 lead when Rieder deflected Connor Murphy's shot
from the point past Lehtonen at 14:11 of the first period. Lehtonen
appeared to be fighting through a partial screen by two Dallas
players.
Dallas answered off the ensuing faceoff when left winger Antoine
Roussel stole the puck from Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek at
the blue line to create a 2-on-1. Roussel fed Hemsky in the slot,
and Hemsky manage to pull the puck around Domingue with some nifty
stick work and slip it in the open side at 14:20.
The Coyotes regained the lead when Hanzal gathered the rebound of
defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson's shot from the left boards and
pushed it under Lehtonen's pad for a 2-1 edge just 55 seconds into
the second period. The goal was the 100th of Hanzal's career and his
second in as many games after a 15-game scoring drought.
"It's just a number but it's a nice number," Hanzal said of his
milestone goal. "It took me what nine years? Another 35 and I might
catch (Shane) Doaner."
The Coyotes had a chance to widen the lead in the second period when
Stars left winger Jamie Benn hauled down Arizona center Brad
Richardson on a breakaway. Officials awarded Richardson a penalty
shot, but he fired his attempt wide left.
[to top of second column] |
Arizona got some insurance with the Stars on their third power play
of the game. Hanzal deflected defenseman Klas Dahlbeck's shot off
the post through traffic and then found himself alone with the puck
at the right post for an easy tap-in and a 3-1 lead at 7:51 of the
third period. It was Hanzal's first two-goal game since Nov. 10
against Los Angeles.
Hanzal had the game-winning goal in both games against the Stars
this season.
Dallas fired 14 shots at Domingue in the third period but he made a
handful of terrific saves, including a point-blank stop on John
Klingberg.
"We generated quite a few shots on goal, but I think we can do a
better job of taking his eyes away and getting some of those
second-chance rebounds," Stars forward Patrick Sharp said. "It's
going to be a good test these last seven, eight games because we've
got some tough teams coming in. We want to make sure we're playing
our best hockey the next few weeks."
NOTES: Lehtonen made his fifth consecutive start and ninth in the
past 10 games as he looks to solidify the No. 1 spot before the
playoffs. Antti Niemi still has more appearances (44) than Lehtonen
(40), but Niemi has just one start since March 1. ... Coyotes GM Don
Maloney said he has begun contract negotiations with Rieder, who can
become a restricted free agent when the season ends. Maloney
normally doesn't conduct negotiations during the season, so the move
is a sign of Rieder's value to the organization. ... Stars D Kris
Russell missed his second consecutive game with a foot injury
despite pressing coach Lindy Ruff hard to play. "If we needed him to
play, he could play, but we're lucky enough to give him enough
time," Ruff told the Dallas Morning News. ... Stars C Mattias
Janmark (upper body) also missed the game but is close to returning.
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