Photo: The Canadian Press
After winning two straight games over Columbus and Colorado, the Phoenix Coyotes had clawed their way back to the .500 mark at 10-10-2.
They didn’t stay there very long, as they were unable to hold a 2-0 advantage, losing to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 Saturday night at Jobing.com Arena.
Derek Morris scored just :28 into the game, and Kyle Turris followed less than 3 minutes later on a power play goal to give the Coyotes a quick 2-0 edge on the best team in the league. Just 2:02 later, Joe Pavelski of the Sharks lit the lamp, and 1:11 after that Rob Blake scored on a slap shot to tie the game at 2.
There was no scoring in the second period, but the Sharks got the game-clincher on Pavelski’s second tally of the night at 11:23 of the third period.
There’s some unrest at the goalie position, as Ilya Bryzgalov was back between the pipes for the Coyotes, but lasted only 5:26. Bryzgalov was beaten on the first two shots he faced including Blake’s slap shot which head coach Wayne Gretzky described as “he scored from the stands.”
The Sharks have won 7 straight, and the Coyotes see their meager 2-game winning streak snapped.
The last time the Coyotes were above .500 was when they were 8-7 following a loss to the Minnesota Wild, which started a six-game losing streak.
The Coyotes will try to get back to the .500 mark on Tuesday night as they play host to the Los Angeles Kings in Glendale.
Here’s what others are saying about the Sharks’ win over the Coyotes…
- Coyotes fall to league-leading Sharks [AZCentral]
- Coyotes can’t hold off Sharks [East Valley Tribune/AP]
- Pavelski scores twice as Sharks slip by Coyotes [TSN Canada]
