[Box Score] - [Game Page]- [Detroit Reaction]

Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

The final meeting of the season between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Detroit Red Wings featured the usual back and forth action we've come to expect when the two meet. What was surprising this time around was both team's power plays combined for three special teams goals. While Detroit out shot Phoenix (31 -23) and was the better team in the faceoff circle (57% to 43%), the Desert Dogs were the team to come away victorious by a score of 3-1.

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[Box Score] - [Game Page]- [San Jose's Reaction]

[Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

It's games like tonight that make me even more frustrated as a Phoenix Coyotes fan. The San Jose Sharks are one of the best teams in the league, sit atop the Pacific Division 12 points in front of the 'Yotes coming in to tonight's game. So it's easy to expect the team that just got shellacked by Anaheim a few nights back to get beat up pretty good. Not tonight, as the Coyotes brought their A game to Glendale and matched everything the Sharks threw at them.

Huge game from Lauri Korpikoski who scored two on the night, including the game winner early in the third period. Korpi has been a bit silent in recent weeks, but he was making his presence known all over the ice tonight on a new unit with Boyd Gordon and Shane Doan, who each had two assists on the goals by Korpikoski. Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal also found the back of the net and added assists on the other's goal with Hanzal scoring a fluky bounce goal off the stick of Brent Burns in the final minute of the second period and Vrbata adding an empty netter - Ray Whitney assisted on both goals.

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[Box Score] - [Game Page]- [Anaheim's Reaction]

[Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

Super-sub Barbs

Underwhelming Officiating

Cogliano Second Period Natural Hat Trick

Killjoy Power Play

Early Exit For Mike Smith

Dwindling Playoff Chances

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[Box Score] - [Game Page]

[Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

The theme of tonight's postgame is failure to capitalize. The Coyotes seemed to play the better hockey game, they had control of the game, they had more shots on goal, they spent less time in the penalty box, they even had good performance from their special teams with a short handed goal and a power play goal. So why was the final score 4-3? The Coyotes were unable to capitalize on their chances, they weren't able to get the puck in the net despite how many shots they took.

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[Box Score] - [Game Page]- [Anaheim's Reaction]

[Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

There is really not much positive that I can write about this "contest" between the Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks because it was ugly. I suppose Ray Whitney's move to set up the Daymond Langkow goal was pretty sweet and Kyle Chipchura scored his first goal since April 2010. And I thought the Gilbert Brule, Taylor Pyatt and Mikkel Boedker line played pretty well even if they didn't find the scoresheet. That's it...all I got.

The Ducks didn't get a ton from their top 6 as I generally expect them to, but Francois Beauchemin, Andrew Cogliano, Jason Blake, Lubomir Visnovksy and Nick Bonino each had multi-point nights and the Coyotes simply had few answers for the onslaught from Anaheim. Mike Smith looked like he was hung out to dry a few times, but however you slice it 6 goals on 21 shots just won't cut it. The good news is that they get to get right back in the saddle tomorrow night.

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[Box Score] - [Game Page]- [Colorado's Reaction]

[Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

The Kids Day Matinee featured the Phoenix Coyotes with a fell fought victory over the Colorado Avalanche. The Coyotes didn’t leave anything in the tank for the kids, they had one of their highest scoring games this season, including a goal on the power play, excellent goaltending from Mike Smith who only let 1 in on 39 shots, a fight between Kyle Chipchura and Cody McLeod, and Boyd Gordon got his 100th career point. There isn’t much more you could ask for at a hockey game.

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Backup goaltender Jason LaBarbera got the nod tonight over a surging Mike Smith, and after over a week riding the pine it was clear from the start that the career number two was a bit rusty. The coaching staff's risky move backfired on this occasion and the Phoenix Coyotes lost by a 4-3 margin to the bottom of the NHL barrel, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Rather than ride the hot hand and secure two extremely valuable points that were ripe for the picking, Phoenix placed their best player on the bench and paid the consequences. The only positive to be taken from tonight's performance is the fortunate fact that Phoenix locals were not forced to watch their team lay such a large egg. You can find out what went wrong after the jump...

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[Box Score] - [Game Page] - [Detroit Reaction]

[Shift Charts] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [Corsi and Fenwick] - [5-on-5 Faceoffs]

For the second consecutive game, the Phoenix Coyotes went into a hostile environment against one of the top teams in the NHL and played a fairly spectacular game, only to fall short in the shoot out. Full credit to the Coyotes, playing their 22nd road game in the past 32 games and starting the first of a back-to-back at Joe Louis Arena tonight, because they played one hell of a game.

A common criticism of the team coming out of the 2-1 (SO) loss in New York was that they did not shoot the puck enough. Although they were outshot on the night 43-27, it certainly seemed as if the team was making a concerted effort to get more pucks at Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. Radim Vrbata scored a pretty goal that had fans singing his praises as a top All Star snub, and Taylor Pyatt added an ugly one early in the third to put the Coyotes up 2-1.

While Mike Smith stood on his head, an unfortunate bounce leading to a turnover and a Valtteri Filppula rocket and a Pavel Datsyuk thread-the-needle, pitch perfect pass allowed the Wings to stay even with the 'Yotes through regulation. In the shootout, Vrbata and Datsyuk exchanged backhand goals (Vrbata on his patented forehand-backhand-goalie-knows-it's-coming-and-can't-do-anything-about-it move) before Henrik Zetterberg scored on a jaw dropper of a move to get the game winner.

Full bullet point notes, our three stars, five for winning, comment of the night and a look ahead after the jump...

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