- Final0PIT
BOS3
03
0 - Final OTOT1WSH
CAR3
43
4 - Final2STL
NYR4
34
3 - Final3OTT
WPG3
63
6 - Final4BUF
TB6
26
2 - Final SOSO5NJ
TOR1
21
2 - Final SOSO6PHX
FLA4
34
3 - Final7MIN
NSH0
50
5 - Final8PHI
DAL3
23
2 - Final9SJ
VAN2
32
3 - Final10CHI
LA3
03
0
Final SO
7:30 PM ET, March 18, 2010
BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
SUNRISE, Fla. -- With a lot of grit and a little luck, the Phoenix Coyotes earned a record-setting win Thursday night.
Radim Vrbata scored with 59.7 seconds left in the third period to force overtime, then added the winner in the third round of a shootout in the Coyotes' 4-3 comeback victory over the Florida Panthers.
Martin Hanzal and Lee Stempniak also scored in the third period to help the Coyotes stretch their winning streak to seven games. The Coyotes set a franchise record for wins in a season with 44, besting the previous mark set by the 1984-85 Winnipeg Jets -- before overtime ties were broken in shootouts.
"It was just one of those games where we never quit," Vrbata said. "We came back and it was nice to get that."
Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 21 shots in regulation and overtime for Phoenix.
David Booth and Cory Stillman scored second-period goals for Florida, and Stephen Weiss had a power-play goal in the first. Tomas Vokoun made 43 saves.
Florida's Nathan Horton and Phoenix's Lauri Korpikoski also had shootout goals.
The Coyotes sent the game to overtime with Vrbata's fluke goal. Vrbata dumped the puck down the ice and it took an odd bounce just before reaching the crease. The puck hopped over Vokoun's glove and went into the net to tie it.
"For us it seems, Murphy's Law, whatever can go wrong is going wrong," Florida coach Pete DeBoer said.
Hanzal closed the gap to 3-1 with his power-play goal at 3:56 in the third period. His shot went off the post and into the net. Stempniak then made it 3-2 when he scored just 43 seconds later.
"We kept pushing and took some chances and they didn't take any chances," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "We were lucky to get some bounces."
The Panthers went up 3-0 on Stillman's goal at 7:31 in the second period. He backhanded a shot past Bryzgalov for his 14th goal of the season.
Booth made it 2-0 at 1:03 in the second when he deflected Bryan McCabe's slap shot from just inside the blue line into the net. Horton, who returned to the ice after missing 17 games with a fractured tibia, had assists on both second-period goals.
Weiss opened the scoring with a power-play goal with 6.7 seconds left in the first period. He sent a slap shot from the left circle past Bryzgalov to put the Panthers up 1-0.
Game notes
Thursday's game was the only meeting between the Coyotes and the Panthers this season and the first time that Phoenix had played in South Florida since Feb. 10, 2007. The two teams faced each other once last season, with Phoenix beating Florida 4-1 at home on Nov. 8, 2008.
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SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 18: Goaltender Jason LaBarbera #1 of the Phoenix Coyotes warms up prior to the game against...
(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)Game Information
| Arena: BB&T Center Location: Sunrise, Florida |
| Referees: Dennis LaRue, Chris Lee Linesmen: Brian Mach, Mark Shewchyk |
| Attendance: 12,282 (63.8% full) |
Team Stat Comparison
| Phoenix | Florida | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Goals | 3 | |
| 1 | Power Play Goals | 1 | |
| 3 | Power Play Opportunities | 2 | |
| 0 | Shorthanded Goals | 0 | |
| 2 | Penalties | 3 | |
| 4 | Penalty Minutes | 6 | |
| 46 | Shots on Goal | 24 | |
| 31 | Hits | 31 | |
| 32 | Faceoffs Won | 32 | |
Scoring Summary
| 1st Period | PHX | FLA | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:53 | Stephen Weiss (24)
(Power Play) Assists: Cory Stillman, Bryan McCabe |
0 | 1 | |
| 2nd Period | PHX | FLA | ||
| 1:03 | David Booth (5)
Assists: Bryan McCabe, Nathan Horton |
0 | 2 | |
| 7:31 | Cory Stillman (14)
Assists: Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss |
0 | 3 | |
| 3rd Period | PHX | FLA | ||
| 3:56 | Martin Hanzal (11)
(Power Play) Assist: Mathieu Schneider |
1 | 3 | |
| 4:39 | Lee Stempniak (21)
Assists: Wojtek Wolski, Matthew Lombardi |
2 | 3 | |
| 19:00 | Radim Vrbata (22)
Assists: Mathieu Schneider, Derek Morris |
3 | 3 | |
| OT | PHX | FLA | ||
| No scoring this period | 3 | 3 | ||
| Shootout Summary | PHX | FLA | ||
![]() |
Shootout attempt by Steve Reinprecht SAVED by Ilya Bryzgalov (Wristshot 27 ft) | 0 | 0 | |
![]() |
Shootout attempt by Wojtek Wolski SAVED by Tomas Vokoun (Backhand 10 ft) | 0 | 0 | |
![]() |
Shootout GOAL scored by Nathan Horton on Ilya Bryzgalov (Wristshot 22 ft) | 0 | 1 | |
![]() |
Shootout GOAL scored by Lauri Korpikoski on Tomas Vokoun (Backhand 8 ft) | 1 | 1 | |
![]() |
Shootout attempt by Stephen Weiss SAVED by Ilya Bryzgalov (Backhand 16 ft) | 1 | 1 | |
![]() |
Shootout GOAL scored by Radim Vrbata on Tomas Vokoun (Backhand 9 ft) | 2 | 1 | |
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