GLENDALE, Ari – The Phoenix Coyotes entered their match Friday night charting unfamiliar territory. This was the franchise’s first second round game, ever. Their opponent, the Nashville Predators, had not played since eliminating the Detroit Red Wings last week.
Predators head coach Barry Trots said during the game he felt the rust on his team was as issue since last playing on Friday of last week.
The early minutes of the game were intense but both clubs were taking the measure of the other and probing for openings.
Radim Vrbata opened the scoring for the Coyotes on an early power play. Vrbata’s shot was perfectly placed and found a small opening on the near post. The goal further energized the Coyotes but Nashville gained some momentum over the next few minutes.
A shot into the Predators’ offensive zone took an unusual bounce off the backboards behind Mike Smith, Phoenix’s goalie. The puck ricocheted across the crease where Brandon Yip was alert and slapped the puck home for the 1-1 tie at 14:09.
The second period was an open, entertaining affair ending with a 3-2 lead in favor of Phoenix. The Coyotes got on the board again at 3:05 when Rostislav Klesla picked up his second of the post season when he beat Pekka Rinne for a 2-1 lead.
Nashville responded again with a goal at 11:19 when Andrei Kostitsyn poked home a loose puck in the Phoenix crease to beat Smith and knot the game at 2.
Mikkel Boedker then demonstrated the most patience seen on the ice in a long time when he picked up a turnover in the neutral zone and skated in 2-on-1 on Rinne. He drifted toward the net, waited, waited then waited some more and finally banged home the puck past an irritated Rinne for the 3-2 lead.
The third period belonged entirely to the Predators who were looking for the tying goal. Not until the 15-minute mark of the period did Nashville break through when a knuckler of a shot hit Smith in the shoulder and bounce to the left side of the crease where Martin Erat chipped it home for the 3-3 tie.
The Predators outshot Phoenix in the third by a 16-1 count.
Regulation was not enough as the game went to extra time.
The Predators continued their offensive dominance in overtime where they gave few opportunities to Phoenix through the first ten minutes of OT.
But all that offense was of little value when Phoenix got a rare offensive zone face off.
Off a set play from the face off to the left of Rinne the puck was sent to the far side of the net where Ray Whitney flicked the puck home for the game winner.
The Coyotes hung on and withstood the onslaught from the Predators but the in the end it was a club that thrived in the first round on winning OT games that made the difference.
Phoenix now leads the series 1-0 on the franchise’s first second round game victory.
Contact Lou.Lafrado@prohockeynews.com
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