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Perreault caps Coyotes' comeback with OT goal

Jan 6, 2007 - 5:17 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Yanic Perreault and the Phoenix Coyotes cannot be stopped.

Perreault capped a comeback from a three-goal deficit midway through overtime as the Coyotes extended their winning streak to five games with a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.

One night after scoring his third game-winning goal of the season in a 2-0 triumph over Carolina, Perreault completed Phoenix's late rally in this one, netting his team-leading 13th tally at 2:31 of the extra session.

"I didn't even think about it," Perreault said of netting back-to-back winners. "It's great to get the win, especially how we were able to get it, down 4-1. We didn't quit. It was great."

Earlier in the contest, Perreault stretched his points streak to six games with an assist.

From deep in his own zone, defenseman Zbynek Michalek dished an outlet pass to Perreault, who grabbed it just outside the Thrashers' blue line, skated in alone and deked before sliding the puck by goaltender Johan Hedberg for the decisive tally.

"I was back in my own end," Perreault said. "As soon as our defenseman got the puck, he made a great pass. I had half a breakaway. The goalie came up and challenged me, and I put it in."

"Sometimes you have to help your team out, and tonight, I'm very disappointed with my own effort," said Hedberg, who made 26 saves. "It's just as simple as that. I think I had a poor effort all night. I am very disappointed."

Atlanta coach Bob Hartley felt his goalie was too hard on himself.

"I'm sure that he would like to get a couple of goals back, but Moose has been so solid for us since the first of the year," Hartley said. "We can't fault him, he didn't lose a three-goal lead."

The Coyotes, who have won four straight road games, seemed destined to have that run halted after Jon Sim gave the Thrashers a 4-1 lead just 78 seconds into the third period. However, Ladislav Nagy began the comeback 56 seconds later, and captain Shane Doan and Owen Nolan tallied 2:41 apart midway through the session to forge a tie.

"It all started in the second period," Hartley said. "We missed some simple assignments with a three-goal lead in the third. Without taking any credit away from (the Coyotes), they earned their goals, we just didn't play smart."

Doan recorded his second two-goal game of the season and Curtis Joseph made 18 saves for Phoenix, which improved to 9-1-1 all-time against Atlanta.

"Our chemistry has been building," Joseph said. "We're pushing each other. Guys are getting their roles defined."

Marian Hossa scored twice to grab a share of the league lead in goals and defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski added two assists for the Thrashers, who had their three-game home winning streak snapped.

"I don't know what happened," Hossa said. "It's unacceptable. We lost a point tonight."

Atlanta grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals 2:01 apart by Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk in the first period.

With 6:16 remaining in the session, Hossa received a pass behind the net, skated out to the bottom of the right faceoff circle and lifted the puck past Joseph for his 25th of the season. Defenseman Niclas Havelid notched his 100th career assist on the goal, which ended Joseph's shutout streak at 154 minutes, 1 second.

Kovalchuk doubled the advantage with his 22nd tally, beating Joseph to the glove side during a breakaway.

Doan halved the deficit 75 seconds into the middle period with a wrist shot, but Hossa completed his seventh multi-goal game of the campaign at 3:01, when his pass attempt from the left side caromed off the right goalpost and into the net. The tally tied Hossa with Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis for the goal-scoring lead.

Sim scored on a wrister from the top of the right circle for a 4-1 advantage before Nagy tallied for his seventh point in eight career games against Atlanta.

"They got a lucky goal, and then after that, they kept coming," Hossa said. "They finished."

Doan got Phoenix within a goal by tipping defenseman Travis Roche's slap shot from the blue line past Hedberg during a power play at 10:40, and Nolan knotted the contest less than three minutes later by burying the rebound of blue-liner Matt Jones' blast from the left point.

"Our power play gave us an opportunity to get us back in the game," Doan said. "It was timely goals to get us back in this one. When we got the second goal right after (Atlanta scored), it was only a two-goal game."

"We never admit defeat," Joseph added. "We play until the final buzzer."