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Coyotes continue to dominate Ducks

Mar 12, 2008 - 6:22 AM By Jonathan Dalton PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) - A meeting with the Anaheim Ducks is exactly what the Phoenix Coyotes needed to get back on track.

Captain Shane Doan and defenseman Keith Yandle each scored in regulation before Radim Vrbata sealed the victory with the lone tally in the second round of the shootout to lift the Coyotes to a 3-2 victory over the Ducks on Tuesday night.

"This was a huge two points," Doan said. "That was playoff hockey. That's what it takes to win."

Vrbata clinched the win by faking a forehand shot before flipping the puck to his backhand and burying it over the right shoulder of goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

"I just wanted to throw something else then wait and see what he was going to do," said Vrbata, who scored for the fourth time in seven shootout attempts this season. "You never know what's going to happen in a shootout."

Ilya Bryzgalov stopped Todd Bertuzzi and captain Chris Pronger in the bonus format, while Todd Marchant failed to record a shot.

Entering Tuesday's contest, Phoenix was 1-3-0 in its last four games - including the first two contests of a crucial five-game homestand.

The Coyotes bounced back on Tuesday by claiming their fourth straight win over the defending Stanley Cup champions, improving their record to 5-1-0 against the Ducks this season.

"We got a point, we lost a point," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "You take what you can get on the road and you move on. I can't fault our effort at all."

With the win, Phoenix also snapped a three-game losing streak at Jobing.Com arena, where it is has posted a dismal 15-18-3 record this season.

"There haven't been many games where we've been out-skated and out-hit in this building - but our record doesn't reflect that," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said.

The Coyotes (35-30-5), who are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002, are now just five points behind the idle Vancouver Canucks (35-24-10) for the Western Conference's final playoff spot.

"We've got 12 more games to find out how to get to (the playoffs)," Doan said.

The Coyotes struggled most of the game against the Ducks' stingy defense, but managed to even the score at 2-2 at 11:27 of the third period.

Following an interference call on Sean O'Donnell, Yandle took advantage of the power play and a screen from defenseman Keith Ballard in front of Giguere, blasting a slap shot from the blue line for his fourth goal of the season.

"We had (Ballard) in front and he made an unbelievable screen," Yandle said. "The goalie couldn't see anything and it went in."

Bryzgalov, who made 35 saves during the game, withstood a flurry of shots in the final two minutes of overtime after Doan was whistled for high sticking, setting up a 4-on-3 power play for the Ducks.

"I was dying there in the box," Doan said. "That was a huge kill."

"Brizzy was awesome," Ballard added. "We needed that kill."

Marchant opened the scoring with 82 seconds remaining in the first period when he took a pass from Bertuzzi and flipped the puck at the net from the goal line to the right of the crease.

Bryzgalov, the former Ducks goaltender who was claimed by Phoenix after he was waived by Anaheim in November, appeared to make the save but the puck trickled off his right pad and into the net.

Getzlaf extended the Ducks' lead at 7:17 of the second period after Chris Kunitz stole the puck from defenseman Nick Boynton behind Bryzgalov. Kunitz fed the puck to Getzlaf between the circles and the Anaheim center buried a quick wrist shot for his 22nd goal of the season.

Doan halved the deficit with 3:43 remaining in the second period when he accepted a feed from rookie Peter Mueller.

The Coyotes right wing kicked the puck onto his stick and rifled a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle past Giguere and just under the crossbar.

Giguere made 37 saves, but suffered just his fourth loss (10-2-2) in his last 14 starts.

"We did not match their desperation," Giguere said.