The Phoenix Coyotes have won again, with this one coming on the road to open up a five-game road trip.
Phoenix's 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators not only set their road trip on the right foot, but adds to their already lengthy winning streak. The win is the Coyotes' seventh in a row, tying their season high.
Saturday's tilt proved to be the defensive showcase that many had expected going in, against two teams known for their stout defenses.
The two sides played to a scoreless first, with a combined nine shots in the period. Phoenix outshot the Preds 5-4, despite going on the PK twice and the power play once. The second period is where things got a little bit interesting.
If the Coyotes offense was only going to come out for a minute on Saturday, they certainly made it count. Phoenix opened up a two goal lead on scores just 58 seconds apart.
Keith Yandle flicked one from the point on a shot that Pekka Rinne never appeared to see. Those 58 seconds later, Taylor Pyatt skated around a couple of Nashville defenders and potted one top shelf on Rinne for the 2-0 lead.
The Predators did crawl back into it in the second period, with the game's lone power play goal. After a chance for Nashville, Ilya Bryzgalov gave up a juicy rebound to Sergei Kostitsyn to narrow the gap to 2-1 in favor of the Coyotes.
As they've done so much during this win streak, the Coyotes got a goal when they needed it. And as it has been so often, it was Lauri Korpikoski coming up with the big play almost midway through the third period. Korpikoski carried the puck almost coast-to-coast before slapping one that went off the pipe and past Rinne.
That 3-1 lead would stand until there was under a minute remaining, when Shea Weber scored his 12th of the season during a delayed penalty against Phoenix. Despite the fact that 18 of their 32 shots came in the third period, Weber's goal would prove to be too little, too late for the Preds.
The win keeps the Coyotes on top of the Pacific Division, with the San Jose Sharks staying just a point behind, with that count at 73-72.
It wasn't a good night for the Pacific Division outside of the Coyotes, however. The Anaheim Ducks gave up nine goals to St. Louis, while the Los Angeles Kings were shutout against the Islanders. The Stars also continued their tumble, losing away from Dallas, 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks.
Needless to say, it's good to be a Phoenix Coyote right now. Seven wins in a row have them looking like a high seed in the Western Conference, but a true test awaits when they visit the defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.