Penner scores twice as Ducks hand Coyotes 1st home loss
After withstanding an early flurry by the Phoenix Coyotes, the Anaheim Ducks cruised to a victory.
Dustin Penner scored two goals as the Ducks handed the Phoenix Coyotes their first home loss in regulation this season, 4-2 Saturday night.
Sami Vatanen had a power-play goal and Corey Perry also tallied for the Ducks in the win over the Coyotes, who were 9-0-2 this season at Jobing.com Arena. Anaheim is the last team to remain undefeated at home in regulation.
"After we stopped them early, we started to play our game," said goalie Jonas Hiller. "It was good they didn't score and that gave us some confidence."
Following a shutout at Tampa Bay on Friday night, Jonas Hiller earned his second straight victory and improved his season record to 9-3-2. In the two wins, Hiller stopped 73 of 75 shots.
The Coyotes dominated play at the start but had nothing to show for it — they outshot Anaheim 8-0 in the first five minutes. The Ducks first shot came 8 minutes in, when Andrew Cogliano's shot bounced off goalie Mike Smith in the crease.
Shane Doan scored on a tip-in with 4:20 remaining in the third. He also assisted on Mike Ribeiro's second-period goal and has at least a point in each of his last eight games.
The Ducks extended their record to 3-0 against Pacific Division rivals Phoenix. Two games remain between the teams this season.
We talked about getting off to a good start," said captain Ryan Getzlaf, who picked up a point in his fourth straight game. "We have a great deal of depth on this team and guys stepped up during important points in the game."
The Coyotes had 15 shots on Hiller in the first, two short of their season high for a period. But the Ducks scored first.
On the power play, Penner positioned himself in front of Jeff Halpern and easily converted a pass from Nick Bonino from the right side into his fifth goal of the season at 11:11 of the period.
Despite having the second-best home power-play percentage, the Coyotes were 0 for 3 with the man advantage in the opening period.
The Ducks had an opportunity to increase their lead five minutes into the second but Smith stopped Emerson Etem on a penalty shot.
Just over 2 minutes later, Ribeiro tied it 1-all when he poked in a rebound at 7:27 of the second.
The Ducks then countered with two goals in less than 3 minutes.
Penner scored his second of the night on a 2-on-1 break with a shot through Smith's pads at 8:03. Perry then beat Michael Stone in the slot and flipped a wrist shot behind Smith at 11:01.
Vatanen converted a pass from Mathieu Perreault at 12:43 for his second goal of the season and a 4-1 lead.
"Look at how they scored," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "The first one was on a power play, the second and third on giveaways and the fourth on the power play. We lost battles in front of the net and along the wall. We've been losing those battles lately and it's a concern."
NOTES: At the start of the third period, Thomas Greiss replaced Smith. . Coyotes' Martin Hanzal left in the first period with a lower body injury and did not return. ... Perry appeared in his 600th NHL game. ... Coming into the game, the Coyotes and Ducks were tied for third in goals with 76. Chicago has 85, San Jose 77.
