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Saturday, Oct. 16 10:00pm ET
Coyotes add to Bruins' misery | |||||
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BOX SCORE
PHOENIX (AP) -- Travis Green isn't about to analyze his recent scoring binge. Green scored a goal in his fourth straight game, the game-winner 1:08 into the third period, as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 Saturday night. "I'm getting some bounces," said Green, who has four goals and two assists in his last five games. "I'm just trying not to think about it and to keep playing hard." Keith Tkachuk had a goal and an assist and Mikhail Shtalenkov had 21 saves for the Coyotes, who at 4-1-2 are off to the best start in franchise history. The Coyotes had recorded nine points in seven games in three previous seasons, twice since moving to Phoenix from Winnipeg four years ago. "Things are working good right now and we say, keep this boat going," said Tkachuk, who had just two points in the Coyotes' first six games. "We're going in the right direction." Dave Andreychuk scored for Boston, one of four remaining winless teams. The Bruins' eight-game winless streak to open the season (0-5-3) is their worst since an 0-8-1 start in 1964-65. "We've got to find a way to win a hockey game," Bruins coach Pat Burns said. Scoring chances were few and far between for both teams, especially in the second period when each managed only one shot over the first 10 minutes. The Coyotes finished the period with two shots on goal, their lowest total since recording that many in San Jose on March 9, 1998. After firing 14 shots at John Grahame in the first period, the Coyotes had only five more shots the rest of the way. "Frustration doesn't begin to describe how it feels to go out and work hard every night and have things not fall our way," said Grahame, who has a 2.38 goals-against average but is 0-3-2. "You look it as you're playing well but not well enough. There's not much you can do but get better, I guess." Green, who has four goals and two assists in his last five games, scored the game-winner 68 seconds into the third period when he one-timed a backhand pass from Tkachuk between Grahame's pads from the top right side of the crease. Shtalenkov preserved the victory with 4:47 remaining when he made a pad save on Rob Dimaio's shot from the point during a power play. "He makes the big saves at the critical points of the game," Phoenix coach Bob Francis said. "His awareness of the play before it happens, his anticipation, is uncanny." Jason Allison nearly put the Bruins in front with 4:58 left in the second period when he jumped on a loose puck near center ice and skated in on Shtalenkov with Deron Quint in pursuit. Shtalenkov made a glove save on Allison's breakaway attempt, but Quint drew a cross-checking penalty in the process. "He shot the puck right in my glove and made it look like a great save," Shtalenkov said. Andreychuk capitalized less than a minute into the power play, taking a pass from Allison just to Shtalenkov's right and scoring from the tight angle to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 15:59 of the period. Tkachuk responded just under two minutes later when he gained control of a pass Green deflected off Dallas Drake's stick and beat Grahame from between the circles to tie the game 1-1 at 17:08. "Our goaltenders can't be faulted," Burns said. "It's like a pitcher who gets in there and pitches a great game and they don't get any hits for him." | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Boston Clubhouse Phoenix Clubhouse Reichel's new Czech contract permits return to NHL
RECAPS Montreal 2 Buffalo 1
Phoenix 2
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