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Ducks score two quick goals to edge Coyotes

Feb 1, 2007 - 7:28 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Curtis Joseph appeared on his way to his third shutout in seven games. But things took a dramatic turn midway through the third period.

Travis Moen tied the game at 7:33 of the third and All-Star Andy McDonald scored a power-play goal less than two minutes later as the Anaheim Ducks rallied for a 2-1 triumph over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Staked to a 1-0 lead on Fredrik Sjostrom's goal late in the first period, Joseph turned aside 24 shots over the first two sessions and the first five he faced in the third before Moen broke through with his seventh tally of the season.

"(Joseph) had a strong game," Moen said. "We were throwing everything at him. He played well in there, we couldn't get one by him. We just kept going and we knew we would eventually get one."

"Cujo was unbelievable," Sjostrom said. "We're lucky to have him on our team, that's for sure."

Prior to the goal, a pair of penalties were about to be called on the Coyotes. The tally erased the hooking call on Oleg Saprykin, but defenseman Travis Roche still was whistled for interference, giving the Ducks a power play.

With momentum clearly on its side, Anaheim converted at 8:55, when McDonald fired a one-timer from the slot past Joseph for his 15th of the campaign and a 2-1 edge.

"It was kind of a broken play," said McDonald, who has three goals in his last two games. "Chris (Kunitz) had changed on the power play because he broke his stick and I went out to replace him. Teemu (Selanne) made a nice pass to me in the slot and I was just trying to get it on net. I missed one earlier in the game in the same kind of situation, so I was just trying to get one on net and it found its way in."

All-Star Selanne - who began his impressive career with the Coyotes organization - recorded an assist for his 10th point in five meetings with Phoenix this season and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 24 saves for the Ducks, who won for just the fourth time in 13 games.

"When we play as a team, 20 guys, it makes everybody's job much easier," Giguere said. "We should be very satisfied with what we've done the last couple games."

Joseph stopped 38 shots overall for the Coyotes, who fell to 1-4-0 vs. the Ducks.

"It was a good game, but not so good when you're on the short end of it," Joseph said. "We got beat by a very good team. We were up but couldn't hold it."

"I think it was the best game that he's played all season," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said of his goalie. "He was truly remarkable tonight. He played his heart out, and I'm disappointed for him that we didn't get him the win."

Phoenix grabbed the lead thanks to a mixup between Giguere and teammate Francois Beauchemin. Thinking his goalie would play the puck, Beauchemin elected not to hold up Sjostrom, who skated around the defenseman in the slot, gained control and made a deke before beating Giguere with 2:59 to go in the first.

"It was a weird play," Sjostrom said. "There seemed to be a miscommunication between their defensemen and I wound up with the puck. I didn't try to put it anywhere in particular. I just wanted to get it on net, and it worked."

"It was a miscommunication between me and (Beauchemin), and their guy ended up getting the puck and scoring a nice goal," Giguere said.

The tally held up until Moen forged a tie in the third. After having his backhander from in front stopped, Moen regained possession of the puck and fired a wrist shot past Joseph from the right faceoff circle, ending the netminder's shutout bid.

"I was kind of turning the corner and it hit me on the skate," Moen said of getting a second chance. "I turned around, I grabbed it and threw it on net and it had eyes."

"I thought our group responded well," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We had some adversity with them getting the first goal. ... We ground it out, we established our forecheck late in the second period and we started to get things going our way."