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Doan nets winner in final minute on four-point night

Mar 18, 2009 - 5:37 AM GLENDALE, Arizona (AP) -- Shane Doan vowed the Phoenix Coyotes' effort would improve, then he made sure it did.

Doan scored with 26.9 seconds remaining and the Coyotes edged the San Jose Sharks, 4-3, Tuesday night.

Doan, who assisted on Phoenix's previous three goals, scored on the backhand as he was being tackled from behind by defenseman Rob Blake. He pulled the puck across the crease and bounced a shot off Brian Boucher's right pad before falling to the ice.

"I said we had to be better, and tonight we were good enough to win," Doan said. "It (the goal) was one of those things where you just try to get it across the net and find a hole."

Kyle Turris scored twice, his first goals since January 8, and chipped in a pair of assists for the Coyotes, who won for the fourth time in five home games against the Sharks. Dmitri Kalinin also scored to help Phoenix build a 3-0 lead in the first period.

"I've said this a million times, one guy can't win a hockey game," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "It takes a team effort, everybody pitching in and working hard."

Joe Thornton had two goals and an assist, and Blake added three assists for the Sharks (45-14-10), who fell three points behind the Detroit Red Wings (47-15-9) for the top spot in the Western Conference.

"There isn't a guy in there who should be proud of their first 20 minutes," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said.

Thornton began the Sharks' comeback at 8:01 of the second period, taking advantage of slow-moving goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to score on a wraparound shot into the open right side of the net.

Thornton cut the deficit to 3-2 with 15:55 left after a lengthy scramble in front left Bryzgalov on his knees at the top right edge of the crease. The puck came to Thornton on the top left edge for the shot into the vacated net.

Captain Patrick Marleau tied it with 11:40 to go, one-timing Thornton's backhand pass off a long rebound past Bryzgalov for his team-leading 36th goal.

Turris needed just 21 seconds to score. Doan fired a rising shot from just inside the blue line, which Evgeni Nabokov popped into the air. Nabokov lost sight of the puck, which landed at the top of the crease just in front of a rushing Turris, who beat the startled goalie for a 1-0 lead.

"We wanted to get off to the right start this time," Turris said. "We were all excited and flying. We didn't want to lose."

He scored his second at 15:21 of the first, bouncing a shot off a crowd in front and watching the puck slowly slide across the goal line as defenseman Douglas Murray dived in vain to clear it.

"There were three guys in the crease and it went off of somebody," Nabokov said. "Obviously when you give up three goals in one period you're not going to win a lot of hockey games."

Turris had not earned a point since January 18, a span that included 10 games played, four healthy scratches and an eight-game stint in the minors.

Kalinin made it 3-0 with 14.9 seconds left in the first when he bounced a shot off the inside of the right post past Nabokov, who left after allowing three goals on nine shots.

"He wasn't ready to play, either," McLellan said of his goalie.

Boucher replaced Nabokov and stopped the first 10 shots he faced before surrendering the winning goal.