SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Hockey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
COLUMNS
NHL
The Teams
Full Schedule
Monthly Schedule
Standings
Statistics
Rosters
Injury list
Movement
Trades
Hits Gallery
INTERACTIVE
JUNIOR
MORE HOCKEY
ALSO ON SLAM!
COYOTES 2, Sabres 1
Tkachuk, Drake score to give Coyotes win
PHOENIX (AP) -- Keith Tkachuk scored a goal and Dallas Drake added one, with Phoenix short-handed, as the Coyotes defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 Thursday night.
Chris Taylor ruined Sean Burke's shutout attempt, scoring on a rebound with 9:05 left, but the Coyotes, who blew a three-goal lead in a 4-4 tie with Nashville two days earlier, regrouped and preserved their Pacific Division-leading 25th win.
Burke had 28 saves. He and Phoenix's special teams kept the Sabres, who had scored seven power-play goals in their last seven games, scoreless in four advantages.
Buffalo's Martin Biron, the top rookie goalie in the NHL, stopped 21 shots.
The Coyotes improved to 14-1-1 when Tkachuk, who scored in the first period, has a goal.
Phoenix played the first 12:30 without taking a shot, but capitalized quickly on Biron's second straight shaky start. Biron, who had two shutouts in three previous games, gave up three goals in 14 shots in a loss at Los Angeles on Tuesday. Tkachuk's go-ahead goal came on Phoenix's third shot.
Tkachuk scored with 4:54 left in the opening period, firing a wrist shot at a sharp angle from the circle. The puck stayed low, disappeared between Biron's knees and reappeared in the back of the net.
Tkachuk slashed Buffalo defenseman Rhett Warrener as the period ended, and the Sabres started the second with a power play, but couldn't convert. Their next power play turned out even worse when Drake scored the Coyotes' NHL-best 10th short-handed goal -- his second of the season -- with 5:34 left in the period.
The play that opened a 2-0 lead began when Teppo Numminen picked up the puck in the Phoenix end and passed to Trevor Letowski, who skated in and took a quick shot from the circle. Biron turned that one back, but had no chance when Drake, speeding across the top of the crease, banged in the rebound.
Taylor got his first goal on the rebound of a shot by Geoff Sanderson.
Summary
NHL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUFFALO 0 0 1 1
PHOENIX 1 1 0 2 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: PHO - KEITH TKACHUK 20 (JYRKI LUMME, JEREMY ROENICK) 15:06
2ND PRD: PHO - (SH) DALLAS DRAKE 8 (TREVOR LETOWSKI, TEPPO NUMMINEN)
14:26
3RD PRD: BUF - CHRIS TAYLOR 1 (GEOFF SANDERSON, JASON WOOLLEY) 10:55
POWER-PLAY CONVERSIONS: BUF - 0 OF 4, PHO - 0 OF 5.
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUF 9 14 6 29
PHO 5 9 9 23
GOALIES: BUF - MARTIN BIRON
PHO - SEAN BURKE
OFFICIALS: REF - SHICK
LIN - SHARRERS, WHELER
ATT: 15,273
 Bert's back on blades Blue Jays boot game Bombers drop Peterson Felicien rebuilds race | Visit our Polls Archive |