• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Red Wings edge Coyotes in shootout

Jan 20, 2012 - 6:50 AM Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Todd Bertuzzi scored the game-winning goal in the third round of the shootout, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday.

Bertuzzi picked up the puck at center ice, swung way wide to the right and cut across the front of goal before pulling off the spin-o-rama backhander past Coyotes' goaltender Mike Smith to win it.

"We talked it over in the third and thought it was time to break it out," said Bertuzzi.

Jimmy Howard didn't allow a goal in the shootout and made 31 saves, while Bertuzzi and Ian White lit the lamp in regulation. Johan Franzen and Pavel Datsyuk added a pair of assists apiece for the Red Wings, who have won five consecutive games.

Raffi Torres and Gilbert Brule scored in regulation and Kyle Chipchura had two assists for the Coyotes, losers in five of their last six games.

Phoenix opened the scoring just 2:23 into the opening 20 minutes when Torres picked up the puck behind the net, warded off his defender and stuffed a wrap- around attempt just between the post and the left pad of Howard to give the Coyotes a 1-0 edge.

Detroit answered to tie the game at one at 1:36 of the second frame when White accepted a pass from Franzen at the right point, glided down to the right circle and fired a slap shot that got through traffic and over the right shoulder of Smith.

The Red Wings then took the lead at 11:13 of the second period after Datsyuk brought the puck into the offensive zone on the right wing and drove hard to the net. Datsyuk pushed the puck behind the net to Franzen, who then fed Bertuzzi, and the big forward ripped a wrister past Smith from below the left dot to make it 2-1.

But the resilient Coyotes tied it at two at 14:08 of the second stanza when Chipchura gained the offensive blue line and laid it off to a charging Brule, who went in on goal and easily slipped it in behind Howard.

Datsyuk was whistled for tripping at 1:41 of the overtime period, giving the Coyotes a 4-on-3 power play, but they were unable to score, setting the stage for the shootout.

"We had a group out there that fought hard to get the points," Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett said. "It's too bad we couldn't come away with two."

Game Notes

Detroit leads the all-time series between the teams, 58-42-22-5...The Red Wings failed to convert on five power play chances, while Phoenix was 0-for-2 with the man advantage...The Coyotes will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, while the Red Wings will host the Columbus Blue Jackets, also on Saturday.