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Sjostrom, power-play goals lift Coyotes over Predators

Oct 12, 2007 - 4:12 AM By Jim Diamond PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Coyotes scored their first three power-play goals of the season and Alex Auld made 36 saves en route to a 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Fredrik Sjostrom scored two goals and defenseman Derek Morris had a tally and an assist for the Coyotes, who won for the first time in Nashville since a 2-1 triumph on October 22, 2002.

"He was outstanding tonight," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said of Sjostrom. "He set the tone for the entire team. He came into the game with a vengeance."

Radek Bonk tallied twice for the Predators, who have lost on consecutive nights after winning their first two games of the season.

Phoenix entered the game 0-for-15 on the power play during the team's first three games. But Morris snapped the drought with the game's first goal at 14:18 of the opening period.

Morris blasted a slap shot from the left point that got just inside the goalpost. Goaltender Chris Mason had little chance to stop the shot as Phoenix's Craig Weller set a perfect screen.

"I've shot on him before from around his area, and I know how good of a goalie he is and how solid he is," Morris said of Mason. "They came at us hard, it could have went the other way."

Conversely, the goal was the first on the power play that Nashville has allowed this season. The Predators successfully killed all 17 shorthanded situations over their first three games.

The Coyotes doubled the lead at 6:55 of the second period, as Sjostrom beat Mason to the stick side with a wrist shot from low in the right faceoff circle.

After Bonk got the Predators on the board midway through the second, Steven Reinprecht restored the Coyotes' two-goal advantage with 1:48 remaining. From behind the net, Reinprecht was able to sneak the puck between Mason's left skate and the post for his first tally of the season.

"We got a workout last night, and tonight we just didn't show up," Mason said. "We got a lot of shots, but I didn't play up to the way I should be playing."

Martin Hanzal scored his first career NHL goal to give the Coyotes a 4-1 lead just 62 seconds into the third period.

Bonk's second goal of the game came five minutes into the third, but Sjostrom answered with a shorthander with 3:13 remaining for a 5-2 bulge.

"The first one was deflected, and the second one came right to me in the crease," Bonk said. "Every time you score if you lose the game, in the end, it doesn't really matter."

Alexander Radulov cashed in on a power play less than a minute later, again drawing Nashville within two. But Radim Vrbata sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final seconds.

The Predators outshot the Coyotes by a 39-24 margin, with 30 of their shots coming in the last two periods.

"I didn't think we responded the way I would have liked to see us respond," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We have to play a little smarter. I mean, we had a couple of defensemen that started to go into double digits in turnovers."