Coyotes can’t seem to climb over .500

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.

NHL.com : Recap | Box Score

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]

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Tags: Derek Morris, Ilya Bryzgalov, Kyle Turris, Mikael Tellqvist, Phoenix Coyotes, Wayne Gretzky