‘Yotes Notes: Coyotes hold off Sharks
Apr 25, 2013, 5:08 AM
The Phoenix Coyotes were playing for pride against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
The Coyotes were able to stave off a late push from the Sharks to pull out a 2-1 victory at Jobing.com Arena.
The Good:
Goaltender Mike Smith was sharp between the pipes for the Coyotes. Smith made 33 saves on 34 shots and improved to 6-0-1 in his last seven games against San Jose.
The Coyotes were able to get ahead early, scoring two goals in the first period. Michael Stone and Keith Yandle both scored for Phoenix, while Shane Doan added two assists on the night.
The Bad:
The Coyotes can point to their franchise-record goal-less streak of 245 minutes, 32 seconds back in March for the reason they’ll be sitting out of the playoffs this season.
Phoenix was officially eliminated with Minnesota’s win over the Kings on Tuesday night, ending their run of three straight playoff appearances.
Brent Burns’ second period goal was his fourth in 32 games against the Coyotes, and second in 14 games against Smith.
Noted:
• With the win, the Coyotes stopped the Sharks from moving up in the Western Conference standings. San Jose could have moved passed LA into fourth place in the West.
• The Coyotes improved to 12-0-1 when leading after two periods. They are 46-1-1 with a two-period lead since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
• Sharks back-up netminder Thomas Greiss stopped 30 shots on the night, but fell to 2-3-0 in his career against the Coyotes. This was Greiss’ first start since March 6, ending Antti Niemi’s streak of 24 consecutive starts.
Up Next:
The Coyotes will host their final home game against Colorado Avalanche on Friday, April 26. The puck is set to drop at 7:00 p.m. MST.
