GLENDALE, Ariz. -- 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 Coyotes their first home loss in regulation
this season, a 4-2 defeat 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 only team still 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."
