Anaheim Ducks lose to rival Phoenix Coyotes as playoffs approach in key game (3/11)
As the playoffs approach, each game gets bigger and bigger especially against many of the teams jockeying for position and make it in. One of those teams is the Phoenix Coyotes who came in 2 points ahead of the Ducks. Anaheim started out strong as Getzlaf stole the puck, gave it to line-mate Bobby Ryan who made two great moves before shoveling it to Perry for his team leading and third in the league 35th goal of the season. That was short-lived as Taylor Pyatt tied it up on a slap shot that beat goalie Dan Ellis. Lauri Korpikoski made it 2-1 on his first of 2 goals this night.
Perry scored his 36th of the season tipping in a shot by Cam Fowler on the power play to tie it once again before Korpikoski put the Coyotes up again for good. David Schlemko made it 4-2 on power play goal late in the second period. Ray Emery made his first appearance of the season replacing Ellis to start the 3rd and played well stopping all nine of the shots against him. Shane Doan scored an empty net goal to make the final 5-2 as the Ducks pulled Emery late for a 5-3 advantage since they had the power play but it didn’t work out.
The Ducks badly missed star goalie Jonas Hillar who is still out with concussion like symptoms and his return is up in the air. This was my first look at Phoenix and they were very impressive. For a team that is owned by the NHL, they are playing great team hockey and looking good for the postseason. They have 9 players who have scored at least 10 goals and their leading scorer is defenseman Keith Yandle who has 55 points. His defense is very strong as well and he is one of the front-runners for the best defenseman in the league this year. This team is for real with a core of experienced players. The key to their team is goalie and ex-Duck Ilya Bryzgalov who was a complete wall stoning many good chances. If he plays well, they will be tough to beat as the season goes on and into the playoffs. The Ducks have their hands full but are right there and control their own destiny during the final stretch. They need more solid goaltending and scoring from others besides their top 3 first liners. More big games upcoming and visit www.ducks.nhl.com