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Dumont, Peverley propel Predators past Coyotes

Feb 11, 2008 - 4:18 AM GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- J.P. Dumont and Rich Peverley scored 23 seconds apart in the third period to lift the Nashville Predators to a 6-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday.

Radek Bonk, David Legwand, captain Jason Arnott and Martin Gelinas also scored for the Predators, who squandered a 3-0 lead before rallying in the third period to snap a modest two-game losing streak and edge four points ahead of Phoenix in the Western Conference standings.

"I don't know where anyone is in the standings," said Alexander Radulov, who had a pair of assists. "I don't even look at it."

Captain Shane Doan, Daniel Winnik and All-Star defenseman Ed Jovanovski scored for the Coyotes, who have lost three in a row.

"We're just not the same team in this arena than we are on the road," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "We don't have the same confidence we do on the road and, consequently, we're just not winning hockey games that we need to be winning."

Dumont took a cross-ice pass from Radulov in the left faceoff circle and beat goaltender Mikael Tellqvist, who relieved an ineffective Ilya Bryzgalov, on a hard wrist shot to give Nashville a 4-3 lead.

Peverley gave the Predators a two-goal cushion just 23 seconds later, accepting a feed from Bonk between the circles before wristing the puck past Tellqvist.

"When you're in a tight game and the team breaks out, it lightens the pressure," goaltender Dan Ellis said. "It makes it easier - not just on the goaltender - but on the whole team."

Jovanovski tied the game 3-3 on a blast from the blue line at 15:21 of the second period. Ellis thought he had made a glove save, holding his left hand aloft, but the puck instead trickled between his pads and into the net.

"We knew we were still in the fight," Arnott said. "It was a disappointing period because we let them back in the game."

Nashville opened a 3-0 lead on just eight shots against Bryzgalov. Bonk tapped home a rebound at 4:34 of the first period, his first goal since December 19 at Chicago.

"He's one of those guys you can count on," Doan said of Bryzgalov. "There are no concerns about him. We haven't been really good in front of him, so if there are any concerns, it's about us."

Legwand extended the lead to 2-0 when he one-timed a pass from Dumont past Bryzgalov. Arnott ended the netminder's night at 13:27 of the period on another rebound.

"It's tough now," Arnott said. "You can't afford to lose too many games in a row. It's a huge win for us."

Doan put the Coyotes on the board with a power-play goal with 1:33 left in the first period, bounding a shot off defenseman Greg Zanon in front of the net.

Winnik had made it 3-2 at 7:40 of the period on a brilliant goal, faking Ellis to the ice just outside the crease before pulling the puck to his backhand and skating behind the goaltender for the goal.