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Tellqvist, Kapanen help Coyotes halt skid

Mar 13, 2007 - 6:31 AM GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Niko Kapanen staked Mikael Tellqvist to an early lead, and the Swedish goaltender took care of the rest.

Kapanen had a goal and an assist and Tellqvist made 24 saves as the Phoenix Coyotes halted a five-game losing streak with a 4-0 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Claimed off waivers from Atlanta on February 27, Kapanen failed to register a point in his first four games with Phoenix. But the Finn had a strong performance in this one, scoring his fifth goal of the season less than eight minutes into the game and setting up Owen Nolan 3 1/2 minutes later to stake the Coyotes to a 2-0 lead.

"Kapanen has been good pretty much every game he's been here," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. "When you don't play a lot, you lose a little bit of your confidence. That is what seemed to have happened to Kapanen. He is just getting more comfortable each game he plays. He is a tremendous playmaker and makes good decisions, and he is pretty strong defensively. He played really well."

It was more than enough support for Tellqvist, who turned aside seven shots in both the first and third periods and 10 in the middle session for his second shutout of the season and fourth career. The 27-year-old blanked Anaheim on December 23 with a 29-save performance.

"Maybe the best game he played all year," Gretzky said. "I thought he was truly on his mark early and made a few key saves, especially 1-0 where they could have scored, but he made a couple of really big key saves for us."

Tellqvist rebounded from a horrid performance against Chicago on Saturday, when he allowed five goals on 17 shots and was pulled after one period.

"That is never fun as a goalkeeper," Tellqvist said. "When coach gave me the opportunity tonight, I just went there to play as good as I possibly can for a win. ... Five goals is never nice to give up, but it is nice to get a shutout tonight."

"I don't think it was Telly's fault they had five goals the other night," Gretzky said. "I never blame a goalkeeper. ... He bounced back with a great effort, which was good to see."

Mathias Tjarnqvist and rookie Daniel Carcillo also scored and Tellqvist picked up an assist for the Coyotes, whose last win also came in the form of a shutout by Curtis Joseph against Edmonton on February 27.

"Right from the get-go, we knew we had to play desperate hockey and get a win after those last couple of games and the skid we were on," Carcillo said. "We went out and played simple hockey and hard hockey and worked hard for our goals."

Martin Biron made 20 saves for Philadelphia, which officially was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.

"This is a game that was right there for us to have," Biron said. "Everyone is disappointed. We are a team that is trying to build on momentum and carry something into next year. This could be a good month and this isn't the way we want to go. We just have to refocus."

"I was very disappointed," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "You can't be satisfied when you come off a big win (over Boston on Saturday) and just come in here and relax. ... We made it very clear that this was going to be a hard game. We had to dig in and pay the price to win, and for whatever reason, it didn't happen."

Kapanen opened the scoring at 7:41 of the first period on a fluky goal, throwing the puck into the crease from the left corner. After bouncing off Biron, it hit defenseman Derian Hatcher's glove and fell into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Nolan doubled the advantage at 11:12 off a feed from Kapanen, who completed his third two-point effort of the season.

With teammate Yanick Lehoux in the penalty box for slashing, Tjarnqvist skated around Philadelphia blue-liner Joni Pitkanen in the neutral zone and down the left wing before cutting across the top of the crease and sliding in a backhander at 10:45 of the second for his fourth goal of the campaign and a 3-0 bulge.

"That was a really good play," Gretzky said. "Since we've gotten Tjarnqvist, he's played really hard each and every night. Tonight, I thought maybe he was our best player, had a great effort and scored a really nice goal."

Carcillo capped the scoring with his second tally in as many games on a snap shot from the slot. Acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, the 22-year-old was playing in just his fifth NHL contest.

"I've been a little nervous, but I'm starting to settle down now," Carcillo said. "It's a little premature. It has only been five games, but if I keep working hard and playing a physical game and take some energy out there, I'll be all right."

Biron survived a scare in the first period, when a shot by Nolan hit him near the throat.

"It caught me in the collarbone, neck area," Biron said. "There is a bit of a cut, but it's no big deal. You get hit in the neck, you just have to refocus and forget about it. You have to shake it off."

"It was a rocket that ended up catching him up high," Stevens said. "He stayed in the game and battled through it, but I'm sure something like that ends up having an effect on you."