Final
Kapanen, Winnik push Coyotes past Canucks
Mar 14, 2008 - 5:49 AM By Jonathan Dalton PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterGLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) - In a game the Phoenix Coyotes really needed to win on Thursday night, two unlikely heroes joined an old stalwart to strengthen the team's playoff hopes.
Niko Kapanen and rookie Daniel Winnik each scored a goal and Ilya Bryzgalov made 24 saves to lift the Coyotes to a 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
With its playoff chances in doubt until the closing minutes of a 3-2 victory Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix (36-30-5) closed to within three points of Vancouver (35-26-10) in the Western Conference's playoff race.
"It's still the same thing; nothing's changed for us," Bryzgalov said. "Every game is do-or-die."
"It carried over from the game against Anaheim," Winnik said. "We had great energy in yesterday's practice and again tonight."
The Coyotes, winners of two straight after dropping the first two contests of a five-game homestand, are in 10th place - one point behind Nashville (35-29-8).
"No one wants the season to end," Winnik said. "No one wants to be done come April."
Vancouver will host Phoenix on Monday night.
"We're in a situation right now where every game is so big for us," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "We had to find a way to get a win here at home and get some momentum."
Kapanen, who was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period. Defenseman Keith Ballard's shot from the point was blocked and the puck bounced to a surprised Kapanen, who flipped a shot over All-Star Roberto Luongo's left shoulder for his 10th goal of the season.
Winnik added an insurance tally just 7:32 into the third period. Rookie Martin Hanzal gained control of the puck just outside the Canucks' zone, pulled up at the near edge of the right faceoff circle before feeding Winnik in the slot for the one-timer. It was also his 10th tally of the campaign.
Hanzal was nearly scratched because of a sore groin.
"I told him even if all he could do was take faceoffs that we'd play him," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said.
The Canucks were unable to convert on four power-play opportunities, including ones in the first minute of the second and third periods.
"They found a way to take a lead on their power play and our power play tonight didn't generate anything," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "Their power play got them a big goal."
Vancouver's best scoring chance came 90 seconds after Kapanen's goal when Bryzgalov stopped Henrik Sedin's initial shot before pulling the rebound attempt out of the air.
The Canucks' third-period power-play chance, which came when All-Star blue-liner Ed Jovanovski was sent off for holding 17 seconds into session, was short-circuited in unusual fashion. Brendan Morrison snapped his stick on a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle but didn't discard his shaft immediately and was whistled for a two-minute minor.
Bryzgalov recorded his third shutout of the season and fifth career by stopping seven shots in the first period, 12 in the second and five in the third.
Luongo, who allowed four goals on 19 shots in 24 minutes Wednesday in Anaheim, made 43 saves on Wednesday - including 24 in the first period alone. The Canucks have dropped two straight.
"I was not pleased with the way things went (in Anaheim)," Luongo said. "It's not really a matter of bouncing back, it's more a matter of making sure you give your team a chance to win."
Along with 31 total shots between the teams in the opening 20 minutes, the game also featured a first-period fight between Phoenix's Daniel Carcillo and Vancouver's Alex Burrows that resulted in 44 penalty minutes assessed against six different players, including three misconducts.
"The last thing I said before we went on the ice was 'Every time you've got a chance, you've got to punch them,'" Gretzky said. "That's the game. It hasn't changed since I was playing."
- NHL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
VANCOUVER 0 0 0 0
PHOENIX 0 1 1 2 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) NIKO KAPANEN 10 (KEITH BALLARD, MARTIN HANZAL)
10:32
3RD PRD: PHO - DANIEL WINNIK 10 (MARTIN HANZAL) 7:32
POWER-PLAY CONVERSIONS: VAN - 0 OF 5, PHO - 1 OF 4.
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3
Mar 14 12:39 AM - NHL
VANCOUVER 0
PHOENIX 2
3RD PRD: PHO - DANIEL WINNIK 10 (MARTIN HANZAL) 7:32
Canucks 0, Coyotes 2 3rd - 12:28Mar 14 12:12 AM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
VANCOUVER 0 0 0
PHOENIX 0 1 1 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) NIKO KAPANEN 10 (KEITH BALLARD, MARTIN HANZAL)
10:32
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
VAN 7 12 19
PHO 24 6 30
GOALIES:
Mar 13 11:42 PM - NHL
VANCOUVER 0
PHOENIX 1
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) NIKO KAPANEN 10 (KEITH BALLARD, MARTIN HANZAL)
10:32
Canucks 0, Coyotes 1 2nd - 9:28Mar 13 11:27 PM - ------------------------
Vancouver
0 --0
Phoenix 0 --0
------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: N Boynton, Pho (interference), 4:38; R
Vrbata, Pho (cross checking), 7:08; A Burrows, Van (roughing), 7:08; K
Bieksa, Van (roughing), 17:50; A Burrows, Van (major fighting), 17:50;
R Kesler, Van ( misconduct), 17:50; D Carcillo, Pho (major fighting,
misconduct),
Mar 13 10:49 PM
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