Canadiens 3 - 2 Coyotes
Final - OT
  for this game

Coyotes aim to solve Habs in the desert

Nov 10, 2011 - 4:49 PM (Sports Network) - With a win on Saturday, Dave Tippett became the fastest coach in Coyotes history to reach 100 victories.

None of those have come against the Canadiens.

Phoenix tries to halt a 12-game winless drought versus Montreal this evening at Jobing.com Arena.

The Coyotes have gone 100-55-22 since Tippett was named the franchise's 17th head coach on Sept. 24, 2009, making the postseason in each of his first two seasons as bench boss. Phoenix is off to another solid start in a competitive Pacific Division and helped its coach reach the milestone win on Saturday with a 4-2 triumph over Edmonton.

Ray Whitney and Boyd Gordon both had a goal and an assist and Mike Smith made 24 saves for the Coyotes, who are 5-1-1 in their last seven games and 7-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.

Tippett took his milestone win in stride after the game, saying he didn't even know it was in reach until someone told him before the game. Saturday was his 177th game as Phoenix's head coach.

"It is what it is. I like to win, I've got no problem with that," Tippett said with a smile.

Daymond Langkow and Adrian Aucoin also lit the lamp in the win, while Radim Vrbata had a pair of assists.

"I don't know if I'll get too many this year, but I've been waiting for awhile," Aucoin said of his first tally of the season.

Phoenix played without Martin Hanzal for a second straight game due to a lower-back injury, but could have the center back tonight when it tries to beat Montreal for the first time since a home victory on Dec. 9, 1998.

The Canadiens are 9-0 with three ties in this series since that meeting and hope to avoid a third straight loss overall tonight. They are 4-0 with a tie in their last five trips to Arizona.

Montreal had won four in a row prior to consecutive defeats at the hands of the New York Rangers and Edmonton. The Oilers rebounded after their loss to the Coyotes to best the Habs 3-1.

Max Pacioretty scored the lone goal for the Canadiens and Carey Price stopped 11-of-13 shots in defeat.

"Other things started going the other way and so hopefully we can turn it around on the road," said Price.

Montreal plays its next two games as the guest and is 3-3-0 as the road club this season.

Andrei Kostitsyn did not play due to a lower-body injury and is questionable for Montreal tonight.






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