Captain Doan sets standard as Coyotes avoid whitewash

LOS ANGELES — The Clarence Campbell Bowl was in Staples Center for the first time, waiting to be presented by commissioner Gary Bettman to the NHL's Western Conference champions. The Los Angeles Kings' long-suffering fans gathered downtown shortly after dawn, eager to witness a series sweep and a coronation.

Staying alive: Phoenix's Mikkel Boedker (right) holds off Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar during the Coyotes' 2-0 win on Sunday. AP

And then Captain Coyote and his goalie crashed the party for a win that suggests this series is far from finished.

Shane Doan scored two goals, Mike Smith made 36 saves in his third playoff shutout, and the Phoenix Coyotes emphatically avoided playoff elimination with a 2-0 victory in Game 4 of the conference finals on Sunday.

Ray Whitney and Antoine Vermette had assists for the Coyotes, who avoided the sweep by snapping the eighth-seeded Kings' eight-game winning streak and canceling Los Angeles' plans to celebrate its first berth in the Stanley Cup finals since 1993. With their backs against the glass, the Coyotes soundly outplayed an opponent that had been on an 11-1 run through the postseason.

"We recognize we put ourselves in a tough position, (but) we also know it has been done," said Doan, Phoenix's captain since 2003 and the sole remaining member of the Winnipeg Jets team that moved to the desert in 1996.

"I guess that's what sports are all about, trying to do something that someone hasn't done for a while, try to do things (when) the odds are kind of stacked against you," Doan added. "Nobody wants to be in the position we're in, but everybody wants to prove they can answer that call."

Phoenix still must win three more games to become just the fourth team in NHL history to rally from an 0-3 series deficit, but the Coyotes finally regained the form they showed in knocking off Chicago and Nashville in the first two rounds.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Phoenix. Los Angeles is 7-0 on the road in the playoffs, but the Coyotes can't wait to see another whiteout in their stands.

"Two ways to look at it: They're either due to lose, or we've got to find a way to stop them," Doan said. "Law of averages says you're going to lose eventually on the road, so it happens. Next game wouldn't be a bad one to lose."

Doan scored on a power play in the first period and on a deflected shot in the second, silencing the crowd at the Kings' first loss since April 18. Smith, who has all three of his shutouts on the road, made several impressive saves while outplaying Jonathan Quick for the first time in the series.

"We had nothing to lose," Smith said. "We had to make sure we played our best game. That would give us a chance to win. We obviously had a huge game from Doaner, and it trickled down through our lineup. He was unbelievable. He was such a great leader tonight. Every guy knew that they were going to do their part to try to force this series to Game 5."

Quick stopped 19 shots with little help from his Los Angeles teammates, who were shut out for the first time in the postseason while hitting a bump in what had been one of the most impressive playoff runs in NHL history.

The Kings have reached the Cup final just once in 44 seasons of existence, but their worst game of the postseason prevented them from claiming just the second conference title in franchise history — and becoming just the second No. 8 seed to win three playoff rounds.

"Phoenix played a really good game and came out hard," Los Angeles defenseman Matt Greene said. "They got a big power-play goal against us there, and they got a big faceoff goal. Smith was awesome tonight. They played well, and we can play better. We need to respond better than that."

HELSINKI — Russia won the ice hockey world championship Sunday by defeating Slovakia 6-2 in the final.

Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals scored two goals and had an assist in the rout. Russia scored three times in the second period to take control.

Alexander Perezhogin, Alexei Tereshenko, Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and tournament MVP Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins scored the other goals, with Datsyuk and Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals assisting on two.

Slovakia defender Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins scored both of his nation's goals, one on a blast from the blue line, the other from close range.

Russia, the champion in 2008 and 2009, returned to the title after finishing fourth last year. It did not lose in 10 games and finished the tournament with a plus-30 goal difference.

"We are the Big Red Machine just now," defenseman Nikolai Kulemin said.

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Kings looking for sweep after defeating Coyotes in Game 3

On the brink: Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) scores past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday in Los Angeles. The Kings won 2-1. AP

LOS ANGELES — When Daymond Langkow beat Jonathan Quick on a breakaway and celebrated Phoenix's first lead in the Western Conference finals, captain Dustin Brown was almost curious how his Los Angeles Kings would respond to the first serious adversity they've faced in weeks.

Their answer told Brown that this unbelievable bunch of Kings is almost ready to play for the Stanley Cup.

Anze Kopitar scored the tying breakaway goal just 2:07 later, Dwight King added the winner early in the third period and Los Angeles rolled to the brink of its first Stanley Cup final in 19 years with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, taking a 3-0 lead in the West finals.

Quick made 18 saves, and the eighth-seeded Kings improved to 11-1 in an undeniably charmed run through the NHL postseason by a franchise with 44 seasons of frustrating, Cup-free history.

For the third straight series, the West's final playoff team will play for a sweep in Game 4.

"Phoenix was a lot better tonight, but we found a way to win," Brown said. "That's what it takes this time of year. It's exciting. There's a lot of guys in here that haven't experienced this . . . but the thing that's made this work is how we're handling all this. We're up 3-0 again."

Although the Kings trailed for the first time in nearly 18 periods since April 28, they bounced back swiftly before largely controlling the third period. King scored his fourth goal in three games against the Coyotes, who face a deficit only three teams have overcome in NHL playoff history.

King connected 1:47 into the third, beating Mike Smith high to the glove side. The massive rookie scored two goals in the series opener and added the winner in Game 2.

"Everybody is answering the challenge and being better," said King, who has outscored Phoenix all by himself in the series. "We're playing good, playing consistent. With the way we're going, we're tough to beat right now."

Smith stopped 26 shots in a standout performance for the third-seeded Coyotes, who must win four straight to reach their first Stanley Cup final.

"None of us planned on being in (a 3-0 hole)," Phoenix's Shane Doan said. "I don't think it's disbelief, but I think it's (disappointment)."

In front of a long-suffering crowd gratefully enjoying its unexpected good fortune after decades of disappointment, the Kings dominated the third period in front of Quick. They forechecked relentlessly in the final minutes, forcing Smith to play a long stretch without his goal stick because Phoenix couldn't clear the zone so he could retrieve it.

The crowd soaked in another memorable performance during the best playoff run by this Second Six franchise since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille led Los Angeles to its only conference title in 1993, while the Coyotes wondered if their own remarkable postseason run has any chance of continuing beyond Sunday.

"We want to play with a lead, but we didn't even have a chance," Phoenix's Mikkel Boedker said. "They got a breakaway and came right back. . . . They're a good team, and we know that, but the series isn't over. We still have time to win it."

Los Angeles largely dominated the first two games of the series in Glendale, outshooting the Coyotes 88-51 while winning by a combined 8-2. Phoenix had no more luck than Vancouver or St. Louis against the surprising No. 8 seeds, who finished two points behind the Pacific Division champion Coyotes in the regular season before steamrolling the West's top two teams in a combined nine games.

"We'll take a couple of days here and rest up, and what have we got to lose?" Phoenix coach Dave Tippett asked. "We'll come here and play as hard as we can. We'll give a real honest evaluation of who we are and how we got here."

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Kings withstand heavy hits to take 2-0 lead on Coyotes

Look out: Phoenix's Antoine Vermette (right) checks Los Angeles' Drew Doughty during the Kings' 4-0 win on Tuesday. AP

GLENDALE, Arizona — The Los Angeles Kings knew the Coyotes would come with everything they had.

Even when that meant some questionable hits as the frustration grew, the Kings never let it bother them.

Withstanding an early push and a slew of penalties late, the Kings took control of the Western Conference finals with another dominating performance, beating the Coyotes 4-0 Tuesday night to match an NHL record with their seventh straight road playoff victory.

Jeff Carter scored three goals, Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots and Los Angeles will head back home with a commanding series lead after flummoxing the Coyotes in two games in the desert.

"We didn't want to do anything after the whistle," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "We just wanted to stay away from it. We didn't have anything to prove that way."

All Los Angeles wanted was the victory and the Kings got it, overwhelming the Coyotes after doing the same in Game 1.

The Kings shook off the big hits — a couple that led to game misconducts — and continued a can't-stop-us roll that started with a playoff push the last month of the regular season.

Dwight King scored his third goal in two games, Quick tied Felix Potvin's team record with his third career playoff shutout, and Carter finished off the Kings' first playoff hat trick since Wayne Gretzky in 1993 in the third period.

Los Angeles has won seven straight overall, tied an NHL record by opening the playoffs 7-0 on the road, and matched another record by winning nine straight road playoff games over two seasons.

The New York Islanders won a pair of Stanley Cup titles while winning nine straight road games from 1982-83, and the Kings are starting to look like a team that could go on a Cup run of its own.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Los Angeles.

"It's a mind set; we get away, there's no distractions," Carter said. "For some reason, this team likes to play on the road."

The Coyotes played better early and fell apart late, becoming frustrated after being unable to contain the more-skilled Kings.

Phoenix was hit with a string of penalties starting late in the second period, including a game misconduct to captain Shane Doan for boarding Kings center Trevor Lewis. Martin Hanzal also received one for boarding Dustin Brown in the third period and the Coyotes had 13 penalties for 56 minutes — most coming after the final 5 minutes of the second period.

"I think the frustration level sets in," Coyotes goalie Mike Smith said. "You're in the penalty box that much against a team that's in the conference finals, you're going to pay."

The Kings won the opener 4-2 by outplaying and outhustling the Coyotes. Knowing Phoenix's makeup, the Kings figured to get more of a pushback in Game 2.

And the Coyotes were much more aggressive early, winning some of the individual battles they lost in Game 1 while creating some decent scoring chances.

Even with all of Phoenix's hard work and a couple of line changes by coach Dave Tippett, the Kings still managed to score first. King got it, redirecting a shot by Drew Doughty that beat Smith stick side late in the period.

Hard work in the corners by Mike Richards set up Los Angeles' second goal, by Carter. He muscled the puck past Smith's glove side as he was going down on a feed from Dustin Penner that made it 2-0 early in the second period.

Then things completely unraveled for the Coyotes.

Doan, who was suspended three games for elbowing earlier in the season, was given a game misconduct and a five-minute boarding penalty for ramming Lewis from behind. Defenseman Keith Yandle was already in the penalty box and Daymond Langkow joined him after a slashing penalty, giving Los Angeles a two-man advantage for more than 2 minutes.

Brown was sent off for diving on a slash by Smith, but that didn't bother the Kings. Carter scored his second a few seconds later on a redirect of a shot by Anze Kopitar, putting Los Angeles up 3-0.

With the Coyotes racking up penalties seemingly on every shift, Carter finished them off with his fifth career hat trick, punching in a rebound with the Kings on a two-man advantage after Hanzal's hit on Brown.

"There's no question there's going to be frustration, especially when you get down in a game like that, guys try to finish their checks on the edge,"

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Coyotes continue surge, close out Predators in Game 5

GLENDALE, Arizona — An hour before one of the biggest games in franchise history, the Phoenix Coyotes learned a deal was in place for a new owner, one they hoped would end three years of uncertainty.

Stick back: New York's Henrik Lundqvist blocks a shot from Washington in the third period of Game 5 on Monday night. The Rangers beat the Capitals 3-2 and lead the series 3-2. AP

They celebrated in typical fashion: grinding out another victory.

This one, though, will take them somewhere they've never been before: the Western Conference finals.

Relying again on their grit and the superb goaltending of Mike Smith, the Coyotes beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Monday night to earn their first trip to the conference finals in 33 years as an NHL franchise.

"It feels great right now, a lot of hard work," Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle said. "It's been a battle the past few years, but it's a lot of fun and we're blessed to be where we are right now."

The day started off with news the Coyotes and their fans had been anticipating for three years.

Speaking as players from both teams warmed up in the hallway, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that a tentative deal had been reached to sell the Coyotes to former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison.

Phoenix paid it no mind. The Coyotes had spent the previous three seasons with the uncertainty hanging over them and had learned to keep their focus on the ice, not what happens off it.

Playing its usual counterpunching style, Phoenix withstood an early flurry by Nashville and followed with goals from Derek Morris and Martin Hanzal in the second period.

And, as usual, the Coyotes gave up a late goal to make it interesting, this one by Colin Wilson with just under 6 minutes left.

Phoenix has become accustomed to seat-of-their-pants victories, though, and they pulled out another one, nearly getting an empty-net goal by Smith before setting off a raucous celebration on the ice rink surrounded by desert.

Next up for the Coyotes are the Los Angeles Kings, the first No. 8 seed to knock off Nos. 1 and 2 in the same playoffs.

Rangers 3, Capitals 2 (OT)

In New York, Marc Staal scored a power-play goal 1:35 into overtime after Brad Richards tied it in the dying seconds of regulation to lift the Rangers to a stunning victory over Washington in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

With goalie Henrik Lundqvist pulled for an extra attacker, the Capitals' Joel Ward took a four-minute penalty for high-sticking Carl Hagelin with 21.3 seconds left in the third period.

Richards tied it on the first half of the power play with just 7.6 seconds to go, and Staal won it with a drive that appeared to deflect off a Washington player before beating goalie Braden Holtby.

The top-seeded Rangers can advance to the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday in Washington.

With the crowd still buzzing over the shocking tying goal, a din that held up through the long intermission, John Mitchell won a faceoff in the Capitals' end to start the winning play.

Staal corralled the puck at the right point, glided to the center of the zone, and fired the drive that set off a wild celebration on the ice and in the seats at Madison Square Garden.

John Carlson, who had given Washington a 2-1 lead in the third period, couldn't keep the puck out after he got in behind Holtby as a last line of defense.

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Coyotes top Predators in Game 1 on Whitney's OT goal

One that got by: Nashville's Martin Erat scores past Phoenix's Mike Smith in the third period of Game 1 on Friday night. The Coyotes edged the Predators 4-3 in overtime. AP

GLENDALE, Arizona — The Phoenix Coyotes have had a knack for withstanding nearly everything their opponent throws at them before landing the big blow.

They know it can't keep going like this.

Ray Whitney scored 14:04 into overtime and the Coyotes survived another late goal in regulation to open the Western Conference semifinals with a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night.

"The third period they cranked it up and we didn't respond," said Phoenix's Dave Tippett, who looked more like the losing coach than the winner. "We're fortunate to get the first one under our belt, but if we expect to have a chance to win this series, we're going to have to be far better than we were tonight."

It's been like this pretty much throughout the playoffs for the cardiac Coyotes.

Phoenix was 33-1 when leading after two periods during the regular season, but has struggled to close out playoff games. The Coyotes allowed four tying third-period goals against Chicago in the first round and did it again against the Predators, giving up one to Martin Erat on a power play with 4:42 left.

Even with the Predators dominating the third period and overtime, the Coyotes wouldn't let them score, getting big saves from goalie Mike Smith and shuttling the puck out of their zone when they got tired — which was a lot.

With a rare faceoff in Nashville's end in overtime, Phoenix won its first second-round playoff game as an NHL franchise when Whitney flipped a backhander between Pekka Rinne's pads after Martin Hanzal slipped a pass to him just outside the crease.

Smith made 39 saves, Rostislav Klesla had a goal and an assist, and Phoenix won despite being outshot 25-7 after the second period. Radim Vrbata and Mikkel Boedker also scored for the Coyotes, the first team in NHL history to have six of their first seven playoff games go to overtime.

Game 2 is Sunday in the desert.

"When we are up by a goal we seem to sit back and let teams come at us," said Whitney, who also had an assist on Vrbata's goal. "It is frustrating. It is something we discussed and tried to fix, tried to change."

Nashville started slow, fought back every time Phoenix scored and mostly controlled the game after the second period.

The Predators couldn't finish it off, though, unable to beat Smith after Erat's goal to lose a game they probably should have won.

Brandon Yip had his first goal of the playoffs and Andrei Kostitsyn also scored for Nashville, which had a 42-24 advantage in shots.

"We had lots of chances," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "We just didn't have that one extra puck that went in."

This mirror-image matchup was expected to come down to which team could play the same style best.

Both teams have superb goaltenders, smart coaches and a defense-first style — attributes they used to get by more-skilled opponents in the first round.

After winning their first division title as an NHL franchise, the Coyotes survived a rash of injuries and five overtime games to beat the Chicago Blackhawks and advance in the playoffs for the first time since 1987, when the team was still in Winnipeg.

Nashville finished six wins and seven points ahead of Phoenix, but was the Western Conference's fourth seed because the Coyotes won the Pacific Division.

The Predators beat nemesis Detroit in a five games in the first round behind Rinne, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second straight year. That gave Nashville a week off, plenty of time to heal and rest up — and gather some rust, apparently.

Sluggish and out of synch, the Predators were on their heels early, leading to a power play midway through the first period. Vrbata capitalized, flipping a wrister from the left circle that skipped off Rinne's mask and over his stick shoulder.

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Coyotes attracting potential buyers

Ottawa — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there are three groups showing "serious" interest in buying the Phoenix Coyotes with the intention of keeping the team in Glendale, Arizona.

Without going into detail, Bettman revealed there was a third group during his weekly radio show broadcast from Ottawa, where the league's All-Star Game is being held this weekend.

The two groups known to have expressed interest in the Coyotes are one led by former San Jose Sharks president and CEO Greg Jamison, and another by Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf.

Bettman said the sales process remains a "work in progress," and he's hoping to prevent the Coyotes from relocating. He did warn that if a sale is not completed, this would likely be the franchise's final season in Glendale.

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Rangers beat Coyotes in SO

NEW YORK — Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was just about to skate off with New York down to its last shootout chance against the Phoenix Coyotes. Then he realized sharpshooter Marion Gaborik was poised at center ice.

Gaborik didn't disappoint, scoring to keep the shootout going and leading to Derek Stepan's sixth-round game-winner to lift the Rangers past the Coyotes 2-1 for their fifth straight win and 10th in 11 games.

"The percentage when you have to score in the shootout isn't good but Gabby has come up with big goals for us all season," said Lundqvist, who won for the seventh straight time. "I felt like we deserved to win this game because we played really well."

Stepan beat Phoenix goalie Mike Smith high to the glove side before Lundqvist stopped Coyotes captain Shane Doan to secure the win. The Rangers improved to 27-9-4 for a league-leading 58 points, the team's best start since 1993-94 when they won their last Stanley Cup.

Smith made a spectacular stick save on Gaborik's penalty shot at 3:10 of overtime. Gaborik went to the forehand and seemingly had Smith beat but the goaltender somehow got the handle of his stick on the puck as he sprawled to his right.

Lundqvist made key saves on Ray Whitney and former Ranger Lauri Korpikoski in the last minute of overtime.

"Being able to win a game like this is so important for our confidence," Lundqvist said. "We stayed focused and got it done."

The Rangers continued their strong play at Madison Square Garden, improving to 13-3-2 at home.

"We had guys step up at key times and we found a way to win," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "Smitty (Mike Smith) played well but Henrik played really well. This was one of those games where we just had to stick with it."

Bruins 5, Jets 3

In Boston, Nathan Horton's second goal of the game keyed the Bruins' three-goal third period.

After Horton scored 8 seconds into the final period, Tyler Seguin and Benoit Pouliot followed over the next 6:33 to lift Boston in a game that featured a penalty shot by both teams.

Flyers 2, Hurricanes 1

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Sean Couturier scored the tiebreaking goal 3:23 into the third period.

Senators 5, Penguins 1

In Pittsburgh, Milan Michalek scored twice, Craig Anderson stopped 29 shots and Ottawa made quick work of the slumping Penguins.

Maple Leafs 2, Sabres 0

In Toronto, Jonas Gustavsson had 32 saves for his second shutout in three starts.

Islanders 5, Red Wings 1

In Uniondale, New York, John Tavares had a goal and assist in the second period, shortly after being struck in the head with a puck, and Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves.

Blues 3, Canadiens 0

In Montreal, Jaroslav Halak earned a shutout in his first game back at the Bell Centre and St. Louis extended its winning streak to four.

Canucks 5, Lightning 4 (SO)

In Tampa, Mason Raymond scored the lone goal in the shootout on a spinning backhander.

Wild 5, Sharks 4 (SO)

In St. Paul, Matt Cullen scored in the third period and the first round of a shootout as skidding Minnesota recovered from a late stumble.

Blackhawks 5, Blue Jackets 2

In Chicago, Viktor Stalberg scored three goals for his first NHL hat trick and the Blackhawks beat Columbus to end a season-high four-game losing streak and spoil the debut of interim Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards.

Predators 4, Avalanche 1

In Denver, Pekka Rinne made 32 saves and Martin Erat and Ryan Ellis each had a goal and an assist.

Flames 6, Devils 3

In Calgary, Curtis Glencross had a goal and three assists, and Jarome Iginla added a goal and two assists.

Ducks 5, Stars 2

In Anaheim, Saku Koivu scored two of his three goals on slick setups by Teemu Selanne.

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Red Wings sweep Coyotes; Capitals top Rangers in 2OT

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Danny Cleary shot from behind the post, squeezing the puck through a hole seemingly no wider than a skate blade. Todd Bertuzzi muscled an opponent and the puck to the front of the crease, getting a fortunate bounce to find the net.

Hanging on: Buffalo's Tyler Myers controls the puck as Philadelphia's Ville Leino tries to slow him down in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night. AP PHOTO

Two goals in 2 minutes and the Detroit Red Wings were headed into the next round, the Phoenix Coyotes toward an uncertain future.

Detroit counterpunched Phoenix's best shot through two periods and dominated with a flurry in the third, sweeping the Coyotes out of the playoffs and possibly out of the desert with a 6-3 victory Wednesday night.

"We knew they were going to come out and play with their best effort and I thought they did, but we really wanted to win tonight," Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.

So did Phoenix. With the ownership situation still brewing at two years and counting, the Coyotes wanted to go out as winners in what could be their last game in the desert.

Detroit won Game 3 on four quick-hitting goals during a whiteout at Jobing.com Arena and used its depth to wear down Phoenix in a Game 4 that was more of a dusting of white, but just as juiced.

Tomas Holmstrom, Patrick Eaves and Niklas Kronwall scored in the goal-trading first two periods, then Cleary squeezed a deflating score between goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's skate and the post with 6:19 left in the game. Bertuzzi made it a two-goal lead by knocking a shot off Coyotes defenseman David Schlemko's skate 1:53 later, and Eaves sealed the sweep with his second goal on an empty net.

Capitals 4, Rangers 3 (2OT)

In New York, Jason Chimera scored in double overtime to complete Washington's three-goal comeback that pushed the Rangers to the brink of playoff elimination.

New York scored three times in the second period to take a 3-0 lead and seemed poised to head back to Washington for Game 5 on Saturday with the series squared. But the top-seeded Capitals fought back and moved within one win of advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Alexander Semin started Washington's rally, and Marcus Johansson scored twice in the third to make it 3-3.

The Rangers built their big lead on a goal by Artem Anisimov and tallies just 7 seconds apart by Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky.

Penguins 3, Lightning 2 (2OT)

In Tampa, James Neal scored the winner in double overtime as Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay to take a 3-1 series lead.

Neal gathered a loose puck along the boards and sent the winning shot past goalie Dwayne Roloson.

Sabres 1, Flyers 0

In Buffalo, the hosts beat Philadelphia to even their series 2-2, with Ryan Miller making 32 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs.

Jason Pominville scored at 9:38 of the first period.

Ducks 6, Predators 3

In Nashville, Anaheim's Corey Perry's netted a short-handed goal early in the third period put the Ducks ahead to stay.

Cam Fowler had a power-play goal and an assist, and Ryan Getzlaf, Brandon McMillan, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu added goals as the Ducks tied the series 2-2.

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Red Wings continue mastery over Coyotes

PHOENIX — The 17,000 fans in white T-shirts made the inside of Jobing.com Arena look like the inside of a popcorn popper. Fueled by the energy, the Phoenix Coyotes issued a series of board-rattling hits on the Red Wings.

Detroit's response?

A shrug and two spirit-crushing goals.

Ruslan Salei and Drew Miller had goals 44 seconds apart in the first period to squelch Phoenix's initial flurry, and the Red Wings scored early in each period to push the Coyotes to the brink of elimination with a 4-2 win Monday night.

"We came out and weathered their storm," Miller said. "They came out hitting and we got two big goals quick. From there, we just kept going. Every time they came hard, we found a way to push back and keep going."

Detroit leveled the Coyotes in its last playoff game in the desert, eliminating them with a 6-1 win in Game 7 of last year's first round. The Red Wings put the lights out on Phoenix's whiteout this time with the two goals in the opening 2:41, another by Valtteri Filppula nearly as quickly in the second period and Johan Franzen's score 45 seconds into the third.

Jimmy Howard made it stand with some spectacular saves, giving Detroit a chance to complete the sweep Wednesday in Phoenix.

Flyers 4, Sabres 2

In Buffalo, Brian Boucher stopped 35 shots as the Flyers' new starting goalie in helping Philadelphia grab a first-round playoff series lead with a win over the Sabres.

Danny Briere and Nikolay Zherdev keyed the victory by scoring second-period goals as the Flyers bounced back with two straight wins after a 1-0 series-opening loss Thursday.

Bruins 4, Canadiens 2

In Montreal, David Krejci and Nathan Horton scored first-period goals to lead Boston over the Canadiens as the Bruins won on the road after dropping the first two games of their first-round series at home.

Tim Thomas stopped 34 shots for Boston and Rich Peverley scored in the second.

Penguins 3, Lightning 2

In Tampa, Tyler Kennedy put Pittsburgh ahead early in the third period and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots, helping the Penguins edge the Lightning.

Maxime Talbot and Arron Asham also scored for Pittsburgh, which took a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference best-of-seven playoff series and regained home-ice advantage.

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