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Coyotes blank Blue Jackets behind Joseph

Feb 7, 2007 - 5:49 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets started off their longest homestand of the season like they wanted to be somewhere else.

Steve Reinprecht scored a goal and Curtis Joseph made 28 saves for the shutout to lift the Phoenix Coyotes to a 3-0 victory over Columbus, which was playing the first of six games at home, the longest stand in franchise history.

Shane Doan and Mike Zigomanis added goals for the Coyotes, who sent the Blue Jackets to their third consecutive defeat, in which they've been outscored, 14-4.

"We had too many passengers today. We had no sense of urgency throughout our lineup," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We had some people play well but we are not a team that can have three or four guys carry us. We need everyone. We everybody to win every night. Quite frankly, in the last three games we aren't getting it. We aren't getting it at all. It's disappointing, very disappointing."

The Blue Jackets figured to have more than the typical home-ice advantage after the Coyotes' team bus was stuck in traffic due to a snowstorm. That led to a two-hour bus trip and the game starting 30 minutes late.

"It's disappointing. We came into the game thinking we had the advantage," Columbus left wing Jody Shelly said. "Coming home after a disappointing road trip ... with the late start, we thought we could take advantage of them, they might be a little fragile. We didn't do that."

Joseph notched his third shutout of the season and 50th of his career against punchless Columbus, which was blanked for a team-record 12th time this season. The previous mark had been set in the 2003-04 season.

"We were a little bit sluggish the first five minutes. Probably to be expected after a two hour bus ride," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. "It was tough for their team too. They had to sit in their locker room for two hours wondering when the game was going to start.

"We were lucky our goaltending was protective the first six minutes that kept the game scoreless. We got that all important first goal and we went from there."

Despite allowing just five goals, Joseph is 2-2 in his last four starts.

"It's nice," Joseph said of shutout No. 50. "It's half way to (Hall of Famer) Terry Sawchuk (103). In the same amount of games.

"We are better when we have a lead and tonight we were able to get the lead and add to it a little bit. We certainly play better with the lead. We have been playing well as a team."

Reinprecht gave Phoenix the only goal it would need at 15:17 of the first period, redirecting a shot from the left point by Ed Jovanovski past goaltender Fredrik Norrena.

"It was a nice goal, he did all the work and scored on a great shot," Gretzky said of Reinprecht.

Doan doubled the margin in the middle session, stealing the puck from Manny Malhotra in the neutral zone before skating in from the right side and blasting a slap shot past Norrena for his 18th tally of the season.

Zigomanis capped the scoring by chipping a perfect feed from Georges Laraque past a helpless Norrena.

"We got that third goal, which was a big goal," Gretzky said. "It was a great play by Georges . It was a big goal."

Neither team converted on the power play, with the Coyotes going 0-for-5 and the Blue Jackets failing on four man-advantage situations.