Final
Mueller buoys Coyotes past Blue Jackets
Jan 30, 2008 - 5:06 AM By Dave Holstein PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterCOLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) - Rookie center Peter Mueller scored two goals and Ilya Bryzgalov made 22 saves to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Mathias Tjarnqvist also tallied and Radim Vrbata added an empty-netter for his 22nd goal of the season for the Coyotes, who have won three straight to pull into a tie with the Colorado Avalanche for eighth place in the Western Conference.
"Right now I think it was one of our best games we played this year," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. "We matched up against a good team that's playing well. I was really pleased with the effort of the entire team."
"Phoenix was better than we were today," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They were quicker on the pucks. We weren't as sharp as we needed to be, we were light with the puck and played loose. You're going to pay for it sometime in the game, and we paid for it at the wrong time."
Mueller scored the eventual game-winner with 6:26 remaining in the third period.
Captain Shane Doan fired a cross-ice pass to the right boards to Mueller, who skated into the zone and fired a wrist shot past between goaltender Pascal Leclaire's pads to give Phoenix a 3-2 lead.
"We broke it out and Doaner (Shane Doan) made a great play to bring it over to the other side," Mueller said. "One of their defenseman jumped up a little too late and we got the puck around them and walked in 2-on-1."
Bryzgalov, who recently signed a three-year contract extension to stay in Phoenix, notched his fourth win in his last five starts.
"We are playing with a lot of confidence right now," Bryzgalov said. "This was a big win for the team and every point is important now for the playoffs."
Columbus managed only five shots on goal in the first period, but made the first one count as Fredrik Modin scored just 21 seconds into the game.
Manny Malhotra took a shot that went off defenseman Matt Jones and right to Modin, who wristed a shot from the right side which beat Bryzgalov for his second goal of the season.
"Manny made a great play and we got a lucky bounce," Modin said. "When the puck came to me, I just tried to put it on net and it went in. It was a big goal and got us off to a good start."
The tally was the fastest this season to start a game for the Blue Jackets.
Phoenix leveled the contest 7:01 into the second period when Mueller scored a power-play goal.
With Derick Brassard in the box for tripping, Mueller scored 14 seconds into the power play when he skated in from the right side along the goal line and stuffed the puck inside the near post.
"It was a good game for us," Mueller said. "My line personally picked it up and we were able to find ways to score."
Columbus and Phoenix traded goals again before Mueller's game-winner slipped past Leclaire in the third period.
With the loss, Columbus failed to extend its franchise-best home winning streak to seven games.
"These things happen," Leclaire said. "We don't have time right now to worry. We're going to come out (on Wednesday) ready to work and come up with a good effort in Nashville."
- NHL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHOENIX 0 1 3 4
COLUMBUS 1 1 0 2 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: COB - FREDRIK MODIN 2 (MANNY MALHOTRA, DAN FRITSCHE) 0:21
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) PETER MUELLER 14 (UNASSISTED) 7:01
COB - JASON CHIMERA 8 (NIKOLAI ZHERDEV, OLE-KRISTIAN
TOLLEFSEN) 18:24
3RD PRD: PHO - MATHIAS TJARNQVIST
Jan 29 9:34 PM - NHL
END OF THE 3RD 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHOENIX 0 1 3 4
COLUMBUS 1 1 0 2 END OF THE 3RD
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: COB - FREDRIK MODIN 2 (MANNY MALHOTRA, DAN FRITSCHE) 0:21
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) PETER MUELLER 14 (UNASSISTED) 7:01
COB - JASON CHIMERA 8 (NIKOLAI ZHERDEV, OLE-KRISTIAN
TOLLEFSEN) 18:24
3RD PRD: PHO - MATHI
Jan 29 9:33 PM - NHL
PHOENIX 4
COLUMBUS 2
3RD PRD: PHO - (EN) RADIM VRBATA 22 (MARTIN HANZAL) 19:59
Coyotes vs. Blue JacketsJan 29 9:32 PM - NHL
PHOENIX 3
COLUMBUS 2
3RD PRD: PHO - PETER MUELLER 15 (SHANE DOAN, ED JOVANOVSKI) 13:34
Coyotes vs. Blue JacketsJan 29 9:19 PM - NHL
PHOENIX 2
COLUMBUS 2
3RD PRD: PHO - MATHIAS TJARNQVIST 3 (RADIM VRBATA, STEVEN REINPRECHT)
1:35
Coyotes vs. Blue JacketsJan 29 8:59 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHOENIX 0 1 1
COLUMBUS 1 1 2 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: COB - FREDRIK MODIN 2 (MANNY MALHOTRA, DAN FRITSCHE) 0:21
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) PETER MUELLER 14 (UNASSISTED) 7:01
COB - JASON CHIMERA 8 (NIKOLAI ZHERDEV, OLE-KRISTIAN
TOLLEFSEN) 18:24
SHOTS ON GOAL:
Jan 29 8:36 PM - NHL
PHOENIX 1
COLUMBUS 2
2ND PRD: COB - JASON CHIMERA 8 (NIKOLAI ZHERDEV, OLE-KRISTIAN
TOLLEFSEN) 18:24
Coyotes vs. Blue JacketsJan 29 8:36 PM - NHL
PHOENIX 1
COLUMBUS 1
2ND PRD: PHO - (PP) PETER MUELLER 14 (UNASSISTED) 7:01
Coyotes vs. Blue JacketsJan 29 8:14 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHOENIX 0 0
COLUMBUS 1 1 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: COB - FREDRIK MODIN 2 (MANNY MALHOTRA, DAN FRITSCHE) 0:21
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHO 9 9
COB 5 5
GOALIES: PHO - ILJA BRYZGALOV
Jan 29 7:43 PM - NHL
PHOENIX 0
COLUMBUS 1
1ST PRD: COB - FREDRIK MODIN 2 (MANNY MALHOTRA, DAN FRITSCHE) 0:21
Coyotes vs. Blue JacketsJan 29 7:11 PM
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