Coyotes
Predators
7 - 4 Final
  for this game

Coyotes top Predators, end seven-game skid

Mar 29, 2013 - 5:08 AM
Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Radim Vrbata scored a pair of goals and had one assist and Martin Hanzal added one goal and two helpers as the Phoenix Coyotes cruised past the Nashville Predators, 7-4, on Thursday.

Matthew Lombardi, Keith Yandle, Antoine Vermette and David Moss also tallied for the Coyotes, who had dropped seven straight entering the contest. Jason LaBarbera made 34 saves in the victory.

David Legwand, Rich Clune and Gabriel Bourque lit he lamp for the Predators, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. With the loss, Nashville fell to 14-14-6 this season.

"Obviously we have to crack down on the mistakes and realize what we did wrong," said Nashville defenseman Shea Weber. "We got to win games if we want to stay in this race."

Pekka Rinne allowed four goals on 20 shots before he was pulled for Chris Mason. Mason didn't fair much better, however, allowing three goals on nine shots.

Hanzal scored 1:46 into the game with a wrister, and Vrbata added a backhander nearly two minutes later to put the Coyotes up 2-0.

Moss tallied a goal just eight seconds after Vrbata with a wrister, then Lombardi snuck a shot through at the 12:52 mark that made it 4-0 Phoenix.

Yandle's power-play tally gave the Coyotes a 5-0 edge before the midway point of the first period, but Nashville responded with a pair of goals to make it 5-2.

Legwand beat LaBarbera with a snap shot 9:03 into the opening session, and Clune tipped one in 30 seconds later for his fourth goal of the season.

"Its funny, we talked before the game, what we have to do to win. I asked a couple of guys and not of them said we had to score six in the first period," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett jokingly.

Vrabata scored his second goal with a wrister with just 4:03 to go in the first, but Bourque potted a tip-in to make it 6-3 after the first period.

Vermette's wrister 2:44 into the middle session gave the Coyotes a commanding 7-3 edge and Shea Weber added a goal in the third to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

The Predators outshot the Coyotes 38-29 ... Phoenix registered its highest scoring output of the season ... The Coyotes will visit San Jose on Saturday ... Weber has seven goals this season ... The Predators will visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday ... Coyotes' Steve Sullivan played in his 1,000 career game.






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