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Selanne's second goal in OT caps comeback by Ducks

Feb 16, 2007 - 6:47 AM GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Coyotes had their fans howling at the midway point of the game. By the end, Teemu Selanne had them whimpering.

Selanne scored his second goal of the contest 1:53 into overtime, capping a comeback and leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-4 triumph over the Coyotes in a battle between the struggling Pacific Division rivals.

After opening the scoring 3 1/2 minutes into the game to halt the Ducks' scoring drought at 142 minutes, 48 seconds, Selanne watched his team - which had dropped three in a row - allow the next four tallies before defenseman Chris Pronger began Anaheim's comeback with five seconds remaining in the second period with a power-play goal. It was the first tally in 12 contests and 500th career point for the former Hart and Norris Trophy winner.

Rookie Dustin Penner halved the deficit just over five minutes into the third with his 19th goal, and Pronger forged a 4-4 tie at 7:32 with another man-advantage goal, giving him his second two-goal effort of the season.

"Give them credit, they battled back and came from behind, but it's really unfortunate that we would give up a two-goal lead in the third period at home," said Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who signed a new five-year contract earlier Thursday. "They picked up their level of play, and that made it tough, obviously. ... In the third period, they came out flying and we didn't match it."

With the Ducks on the power play in overtime, the puck squirted to the point after a battle along the left wing boards. Ryan Getzlaf gained control and found Selanne, who skated toward the net from alone in the left faceoff circle and lifted a backhander over goaltender Curtis Joseph for his 34th goal of the season.

"It was a great pass from Getzlaf and I just tried to go backhand and upstairs on Joseph," Selanne said. "It's a good feeling to win this game. I almost forgot how good it was to win."

The tally was the eighth game-winner for Selanne, who is one behind San Jose's Patrick Marleau for the league lead. It also capped the All-Star's ninth multi-goal performance of the campaign and left him one behind Paul Kariya's franchise mark of 300 tallies.

Selanne also added an assist and Getzlaf, All-Star Andy McDonald and defenseman Scott Niedermayer each set up two goals for Anaheim, which improved to 5-1-0 against Phoenix this season.

"It takes 20 guys to get (ticked) off and we put our work boots on and started working," Selanne said. "We started winning the battles and the momentum changed totally for us."

The Ducks had lost four of its previous five games, scoring a total of just two goals in the setbacks.

"We've had numerous chances, but for some reason, we haven't found the back of the net," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "We needed this game as much as any team in the league."

"We were able to create some good opportunities," Pronger added. "We got the monkey off our back with Teemu's (first) goal."

Mathias Tjarnqvist had a goal and an assist in just his second game with the Coyotes, who have lost four in a row and five of six. Phoenix acquired Tjarnqvist from Dallas on Monday in a trade involving Ladislav Nagy.

"It feels unbelievably good to be here and I'm very happy to score that first goal," Tjarnqvist said. "But it was too bad we didn't get the win. The third period wasn't good, especially at home."

With the Coyotes trailing, 1-0, Owen Nolan forged a tie with 7:27 to go in the first period with his second goal in three games. Nolan missed Phoenix's contest against Tampa Bay on Tuesday with an "upper body" injury.

Defenseman Keith Ballard gave the Coyotes the lead with 42 seconds remaining in the session, knocking in a loose puck in the crease, and Tjarnqvist made it a two-goal bulge 2:48 into the middle period with his second of the season.

Oleg Saprykin increased the advantage to 4-1 4:10 later, directing the puck into the net after falling head-first into the crease.

Pronger sent Anaheim into the second intermission on a good note, blasting a one-timer from the top of the left circle past Joseph.

"Monumental," Carlyle said of the tally. "Anytime you can score in the waning seconds of a period, it seems to light a fire under your group for the start of the third. Right from the first shift in the third, I thought we were much more committed and much more determined than we were at any part of the game."

"We got back on our heels and took a penalty, that made it 4-2, which gave them momentum," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "Honestly, they are a good hockey club. They just kept coming at us."

Penner made it a one-goal deficit at 5:11 of the third, banking the puck off Joseph from below the end line on the left side, and Pronger knotted the contest with another one-timer from the top of the left circle just over two minutes later.

"We needed to get a little bit of a roll and get some wins under our belt to get some confidence back," Pronger said. "Certainly after getting three goals on the power play tonight and coming from behind, we were able to do it."

Pronger's second tally did not come without controversy. While on the ice at the top of the crease, Corey Perry made a hand pass to Getzlaf, who sent the puck back to Pronger. However, the referees did not notice the illegal move by Perry, drawing the ire of Joseph and Gretzky, who argued to no avail.