For yet another night, the Phoenix Coyotes ruled the ice, but kept their mistakes to a minimum, leading to a 3-0 win over the Ducks in Anaheim.
The win was the first of the season for the Coyotes against the division rival Ducks, having lost their previous two this season. What the Coyotes lacked in physical play on Sunday night, they made up for in their finesse and ability to get the puck to the net, outshooting the Ducks 39-26.
Though it may have been their only shortcoming of the night, the Coyotes were unable to physically compete with the Ducks. They found themselves outhit throughout the night, but it did help them see plenty of chances on the power play. The Anaheim penalty kill saw plenty of work, with nine Ducks going to the box. That included George Parros after a short bout with the Coyotes' Paul Bissonnette, in the battle of facial hair. Biz Nasty was able to get Parros on his back, after a short scrap between the two.
The rest of the night belonged to the Coyotes. They got on the board midway through the first, on a Taylor Pyatt goal, for just his fourth point in the last month. As many chances as the Coyote power play saw, they only managed to convert on one. After a Keith Yandle shot, Shane Doan slipped the rebound past Anaheim keeper Jonas Hiller for the Yotes' second goal of the game.
While it may not show on the score sheet, Shane Doan and his line, particularly Scottie Upshall, had a fantastic night. They found themselves in on several chances, but were stonewalled from some good goaltending from Hiller.
Despite starting for his second consecutive night, Ilya Bryzgalov was just as good as he was on Saturday. After surrendering six goals in the last tilt with his former team, Bryzgalov didn't allow a goal, stopping all 26 shots he faced.
The Coyotes may not have played their best, still taking some bad penalties, but with Anaheim taking more penalties and being forced to a penalty kill much more, Phoenix was able to keep them off the board all night. It's becoming more and more clear that the Phoenix speed from last year isn't lost, and is going to be just as difficult for teams to deal with this year as this team continues to heat up.
The Desert Dogs will get the beginning of the week off, before returning to Jobing.com Arena for a rematch of last week's win over the Minnesota Wild.