Toews nets shootout winner as Blackhawks edge Coyotes

Hockey Betting Lines

11/19/2008 - Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp both lit the lamp in the shootout, and the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2.

Toews was able to beat Ilya Bryzgalov through the legs in the shootout, and Sharp followed with a shot that beat the goaltender stick side. Nikolai Khabibulin saved both Phoenix attempts, including a great glove save off Peter Mueller to secure the win.

"We're tired of not getting that far and not getting out with the extra point, so I think we got it through our head that we can't be satisfied with just that one point," Toews said. "We gotta be that team that's always hungry, that wants that extra point. We barred down in the shootout and made it happen."

Kris Versteeg and Sharp scored the goals in regulation for the Blackhawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak by starting their six-game road trip with a win. Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 36-of-38 shots for the win.

"We talk about (the shootout) a lot, we try to practice it and make sure that we measure their effectiveness on it," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "It's good for the goalies, as well. (Khabibulin) is big in the net every single night he's been in there."

Zbynek Michalek and Shane Doan both scored for the Coyotes, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit but lost their third straight game. Bryzgalov allowed two goals on 40 shots in the loss.

"It's unfortunate we couldn't get that other point," Doan said. "We had two 5- on-3's that we didn't score on that we have to score on, and if we do score then it could be a different game. We got to generate more offense somehow, and unfortunately we haven't done it."

Down by a goal headed into the third, Phoenix looked to its captain to tie the game. With Aaron Johnson off for holding, Doan took a cross-ice pass from Mueller and beat Khabibulin with a slap shot through traffic at 5:57.

"It's a tough loss, but I liked the way we battled," Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky said. "We played really strong in the last half of the game."

Both teams had good chances in the overtime period, but Chicago had the best opportunity with a power play in the last 90 seconds of the extra session. The Blackhawks peppered Bryzgalov with shots, but none got through and the game went to a shootout.

The Blackhawks got on the board late in the first period. Patrick Kane went in on net, but his shot was saved by Bryzgalov. The rebound was right in front, and Versteeg popped it over the netminder's shoulder for the score at 18:02

But Chicago got its second goal before the buzzer sounded in the first. Sharp stole it from Phoenix forward Daniel Carcillo in front of the net and threw it toward Bryzgalov. The netminder wasn't ready for the shot, and the puck trickled past him for the tally with 50 seconds left on the clock.

The Coyotes converted on the power play with 13:52 left in the second. With good puck movement, Keith Yandle dished it to Michalek in the left circle, and his slap shot beat Khabibulin on the stick side.

"Yandle gave me a perfect pass, and all I was trying to do was hit the net, and it went in," Michalek said about his first goal of the season. "It's good to get a point, but it's not enough. We came in wanting two points. The first period for some reason, we didn't come out as strong, and Chicago capitalized on their chances."

Versteeg had a chance early in the third to put Chicago up by two, but his shot as he dove hit the left post, and it remained a one-goal game.

Game Notes

Doan, who has spent his entire 13-year career with the Phoenix/Winnipeg franchise, played in his 900th game...Chicago has won both meetings this season and has beaten Phoenix four straight times...Khabibulin moved to 8-4-1 all-time against the Coyotes...Phoenix was 2-for-7 on the power play, while Chicago was 0-for-5....The Coyotes were the last team in the NHL to play an overtime game this season, with Tuesday marking the team's first overtime contest.