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Sjostrom lifts Coyotes past Blues

Oct 31, 2007 - 4:48 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Coyotes have certainly taken to the road this season.

Fredrik Sjostrom and Mike Zigomanis scored third-period goals to lift the Coyotes to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

The victory was the third in four road contests for Phoenix, which is enjoying its best start since the team - then located in Winnipeg - won its first three road games to start the 1982-83 season.

That is in contrast to their home-ice form that has seen the Coyotes win just once in six tries.

"Maybe we'll stay at a hotel Saturday when we get home," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said.

Sjostrom scored his fourth goal with 2:58 remaining to give the Coyotes a 2-1 lead. The Swede beat an out-of-position Manny Legace with a wrap-around for the game's final tally and give Phoenix its fifth win in as many visits to St. Louis.

"It was a bad goal," Legace said. "He got lucky. It cost us the game. This was probably the toughest loss so far."

With St. Louis leading, 1-0, with 7:25 remaining, Zigomanis accepted a feed from Zbynek Michalek through the slot and fired a low wrist shot past Legace.

"At home, we're going to turn it around, sooner or later," Zigomanis said. "At home, you want to be close to perfect, and it's something we have to work on."

Brad Boyes opened the scoring 5:52 into the third period.

Paul Kariya had possession of the puck behind the net before feeding Boyes, who flipped a shot past goaltender Mikael Tellqvist for his ninth goal of the season - all but one coming at home.

Boyes has been playing well as of late. The fourth-year center recorded his third multi-goal of the season Saturday, tallying twice in the Blues' 4-3 victory over visiting Washington.

Boyes' goal was the lone blemish on the record for Tellqvist, who had 24 saves.

But after that, it was all Phoenix. The Coyotes outshot the Blues, 13-2, the final 14 minutes of the game.

"I just think our guys realized we're not going to score if we don't throw pucks at the net and if our defense doesn't get into the play," Gretzky said. "We had a nice penalty kill, and that seemed to turn the tide a little bit, and away we went."

St. Louis coach Andy Murray, however, was not pleased with the way it went.

"We're a hard-working team, and if we play any other way and get outworked, that's usually the end result," Murray said. "We were playing on our heels and they were playing on their toes."

Tellqvist kept the game scoreless when he stopped Lee Stempniak on a penalty shot with 2:32 left in the second. Stempniak drew the go-ahead attempt when he was hooked down from behind on a breakaway by defenseman Matt Jones after stripping Sjostrom of the puck near center ice, but Stempniak failed to convert as his backhand attempt at the left post was stopped by Tellqvist.

"He faked a shot to my blocker side and I felt I was with him all the way, and made a good save on him," Tellqvist said. "It's always nice to make a big save like that on the road."

Legace, who had 25 saves, has been in net for all six of the Blues' home games.

"They outworked us in the third period," he said. "We scored the goal and then we sat back. They're a hard-working team, they always have two guys on the puck, they're forechecking, hitting guys and challenging guys to fights.

"They outworked us tonight in our own building and you can't have that. They went to work and outplayed us the rest of the third period."