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Coyotes Strike In Third Period To Complete West Canada Sweep Vs. Canucks

It took over 50 minutes of hockey before a goal was tallied for either side, but that one goal set off a chain reaction that favored the Coyotes in their 3-1 win over the Canucks on Friday night.

Despite the two sides combining for 48 shots in the first two periods of play, 28 for the Canucks, neither side was able to notch a score.

The first goal finally came with the Coyotes on a 5-on-3 advantage, with Radim Vrbata finding a lose puck and backhanding it past Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Not a minute later, on that same power play, the Coyotes struck again. This one came from Shane Doan, who struck from the point for the Yotes' second goal with the man advantage and the 2-0 lead.

The NHL's best squad, Vancouver attempted to get back into this one after being hit with the quick attack from Phoenix, but were unable to do so. Their only form of solace came in a Christian Ehrhoff goal off of a rebound from Jason LaBarbera.

That goal would make little difference, though, as Lee Stempniak went on to add the empty netter to seal the 3-1 win for Phoenix.

The real story of the night was Jason LaBarbera. In for a rare appearance to give a bit of rest to Ilya Bryzgalov, LaBarbera made 46 saves on a potent Canucks attack on his way to being named the game's 1st Star. Quite a step up from his last performance, in which he surrendered eight goals in that 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the win, the Coyotes complete the six-game sweep of Western Canada, and become the first team all season to defeat the top seeded Canucks twice on their own ice.

After a successful road swing north of the border, the Yotes will return to the desert, where a pair of Central Division foes will await them. The first test comes on Sunday, when Phoenix hosts the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.