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COYOTES FALL TO LEAFS 5-4
By: Damon Markiewicz
 With steamy temperatures taking place outside of America West Arena, the Phoenix Coyotes offense heated up for the second consecutive game, but once again a third period rally fell one goal short.
Despite improving their goal total to eight tallies in the last two games, the Coyotes lost their third straight contest on Thursday falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in front of 13,783 at AWA. The Maple Leafs used three goals in a span of 2:24 midway through the second period on their way to a second consecutive win. Phoenix witnessed their record fall to 3-3-0-0, while Toronto improved their mark to 3-2-2-0.
The Coyotes battled back from a three-goal deficit late in the second period and when Ladislav Nagy scored at 7:43 of the third period, they had cut their deficit to one goal, but couldnÂ’t produce the equalizer.
“Tonight was a similar game to Saturday’s contest against Philadelphia,” said Coyotes head coach Bob Francis. “We competed hard and our intensity level increased as the game went on, but once again special teams played a factor in the outcome.”
Phoenix started the game with five power plays in the first period, including a five-on-three advantage for two minutes, but failed to capitalize. On the flip side, Toronto received four power plays in the third period deflating the CoyotesÂ’ rally.
“We weren’t very discipline down the stretch tonight,” said Francis. “We took some penalties at crucial times in the game and we have to be responsible for that. The last couple of penalties we took in the third period basically shot ourselves in the foot. The bottom line is we still need to improve our team discipline.”
For the third straight game, the Coyotes allowed the gameÂ’s first goal when Maple Leafs right wing Owen Nolan converted on the power play at 8:52 of the first period giving the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Phoenix pleaded that Toronto forward Darcy Tucker interfered with Coyotes goaltender Sean Burke, but the officials disagreed.
“I thought the first goal of the game had a major impact on the result,” said Francis. “Darcy Tucker made no attempt to not skate into Sean (Burke) and after watching the tape, it was clear Mike Sillinger didn’t force Tucker into the crease.”
In theng 20 minutes, Phoenix had their opportunities receiving five power plays with left wing Tyson Nash a key contributor. NashÂ’s physical play drew the attention of the Maple Leafs and helped Phoenix receive a two-man advantage when Toronto center Mats Sundin and right wing Tie Domi retaliated on Nash and were given minor penalties with 3:27 remaining in the first period.
“The five-on-three advantage we had was a turning point early in the game and we needed to capitalize on that opportunity,” said Coyotes defenseman David Tanabe, who led the team in ice time with 26:24 minutes. “We had our opportunities in the first period, but didn’t take advantage of them.”
The second period was filled with momentum swings starting within the first minute of play. Coyotes center Jan Hrdina scored his first marker of the season just 52 seconds into the second period tying the score at 1-1. Phoenix continued their energy and took the lead at 2-1 when Nagy scored a power play goal at 5:31 of the middle period assisted by Shane Doan and Burke.
“We had things going in our favor early in the second period, but just couldn’t hold on,” said Nagy, who leads the team in goals with four. “We came out and played hard, but we have to stay out of the penalty box and take advantage of our chances.”
PhoenixÂ’s lead was short lived as Toronto struck for three goals in a span of 2:24 less than two minutes after the Coyotes went ahead. Nik Antropov scored his third goal of the season at 7:07 of the second period tying the score at 2-2. Toronto regained their advantage when Joe Nieuwendyk slid one past Burke at 8:37 of the middle period giving the Leafs a 3-2 lead. Ken Klee capped off the offensive explosion when he converted on the power play 54 seconds after NieuwendykÂ’s goal expanding TorontoÂ’s lead to 4-2.
“Anytime you give up goals that quickly, the complexion of the game is going to change drastically,” said Tanabe. “It seems like that has been happening to us the last couple of games. We can’t allow teams to score goals in bunches and we have to be tighter defensively.”
The Maple Leafs had a three-goal cushion when Nolan scored his second of the game with 3:04 remaining in the second period. The Coyotes answered right back and cut their deficit to 5-3 when Daymond Langkow scored with 2:49 remaining in the middle period.
The Coyotes will embark on a two game road trip on Friday afternoon. Phoenix will play in San Jose on Saturday and Vancouver on Sunday before returning home on Tuesday, October 28 when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.
NEWS AND NOTES
ROSTER MOVE – With Coyotes center Mike Sillinger making his return to the lineup on Thursday night, Phoenix was forced to make a roster move to maintain a 23-man roster. Left wing Daniel Cleary was placed on waivers after playing in one of the Coyotes’ first six games this season. Sillinger received 14:08 of ice time in making his Phoenix debut after missing the first five games due to hernia surgery on October 1, 2003.
“It felt good to be back on the ice,” said Sillinger, who was acquired by the Coyotes this past summer. “It was the first surgery of my career and it was nice to be back ahead of schedule. Originally it was predicted to be 4-6 weeks, but I made it back in only three weeks.”
FORMER MATES – Phoenix right wing Mike Johnson, who started his professional career with the Toronto, played against the Maple Leafs for the sixth time in his career on Thursday night. The Toronto native has 3-5-8 totals against the Maple Leafs in his career.
PRACTICE TIME – The Coyotes will practice at the ALLTEL Ice Den in Scottsdale on Friday at 12 noon before catching an afternoon flight to San Jose.
TONIGHTÂ’S SCRATCHES
Phoenix – Zac Bierk, Matthew Spiller, Daniel Cleary, Andrei Nazarov
Toronto – Bryan Marchment, Mikael Renberg, Bryan McCabe, Nathan Perrott, Alexander Mogilny
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