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Coyotes defeat the Ducks in a Shootout |
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It was fitting to have Muhammad Ali in the building for the game last night between the Ducks and the Coyotes as it was a chippy game. The Coyotes struck first when Robert Lang scored at the 3:52 mark just 29 seconds into a power play. The Coyotes were controlling the tempo of the game. Then Shane Doan took a hard hit from James Wisniewski, that looked high and like an elbow to me, as he was entering the Ducks zone. Doan hit the ice hard, tried to get back up and could not catch his balance falling back to the ice.
When asked if the hit was high Doan said “If I had seen it, it probably wouldn’t have happened.” He continued to say “Obviously you never want to get hit in the head like that… but it’s going to happen time to time, you just get up and get going.”
Keith Yandle went after Wisniewski; the two of them wrestled around a bit. Each of them got 5 for fighting, with Yandle drawing the 2 minute instigation penalty and a 10 minute misconduct penalty. Doan commented on Yandle going after Wisniewski. “It is huge for me, but as our team it holds every one of us accountable in the fact that we defend each other. It goes a long way to show the type of character that is in him and in our dressing room.”
The period continued to be physical, George Parros was on the ice looking for a dance partner, he found one when Paul Bissonnette came onto the ice. They skated around each other for about 20 seconds, and then they dropped the gloves and went at it. Each guy got in a couple short jabs with their left while holding the jerseys. Then Bissonnette got the take down.
Shane Doan bumped Wisniewski at the end of the period and the pushing and shoving started with everyone pairing off. Doan then had some words with Scott Niedermayer, the Ducks captain.
Doan did not have to wait long, as him and Wisniewski met again just 47 seconds into the period. Doan grabbed Wisniewski in front of the Ducks net and they exchanged shots, Doan was then able to wrestle Wisniewski to the ground. “Obviously I was a little upset about the whole thing” said Doan. “You know it is big of him to give you a chance to respond.”
The Ducks evened up the score at 8:01 of the second period when Corey Perry got a puck passed Ilya Bryzgalov from just in front of the crease. Saku Koivu and Ryan Getzlaf got the assists.
Teemu Selanne scores at the 10:13 mark from the top of the left circle, as the puck trickled past Ilya Bryzgalov. The Coyotes came right back 18 seconds later when Vernon Fiddler took a pass from Sami Lepisto and shot the puck past Jonas Hiller. “We were just trying to get it deep and it wrapped around to Sami… Sami had his head up and made a little bit of a play so we’ll take those all day long,” said Fiddler after the game.
Ilya Bryzgalov was able to get redemption stopping Perry, Getzlaf and Selanne in the shootout. Radim Vrbata scored the game winner in the first round, while both Shane Doan and Lauri Korpikoski got pucks past Hiller, but hit the post. Coach Tippett had this to say about Bryzgalov “I loved the way that A) Bryz bailed himself out in the shootout, and B) our players helped him out, because I think you’ve seen Bryz make some pretty good saves this year to bail players out… in the end you found a way to win and that is all that counts.”
Coach Tippett made the following comments after the game in his press conference. “I thought early on we were very good in the game and that hit on Shane, it kinda tweeks your team… I thought it effected our team and rightly so.” When asked about Yandle going after Wisniewski Tippett said “Were a team about team toughness and there is a guy that recognized the situation and acted accordingly.”
Tippett also had good things to say about the Vernon Fiddler, Daniel Winnik and Taylor Pyatt line. “They are an effective line, they are hard to play against… and it is good to see them get rewarded with some goals.”
The Coyotes have a day off before a rematch with the L.A. Kings on Monday.
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