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| Phoenix Coyotes |
They took that to heart.
They gave an all-out effort, but as has been the case throughout the series, the Coyotes could not find a way to close out the 11-time Stanley Cup champions, who scored three third-period goals to secure a 6-3 victory Wednesday night in front of 17,314 at Jobing.com Arena.
Now they're facing an even bigger game, one that is being played out off the ice and hovering over the franchise: Will they be back next season? Fans were glad that potential owner Matthew Hulsizer was in the stands - his first appearance of the postseason - but the fate of the NHL in the desert remains tenuous.
Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was not sharp during the series, allowing 17 goals in the four games. He could not make the game's critical save, and he accepted responsibility for the loss.
"Team deserved better, better fate, better results tonight," he said. "I'm the reason why we lose tonight."
The Coyotes, who twice were not able to hold one-goal leads, gave up scores 2:07 apart late in the third period, marking another frustrating night for Bryzgalov, who again was victimized by Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard. Howard has won five consecutive playoff games when matched against the big Russian.
Daniel Cleary took advantage when Bryzgalov was out of position and scored the winning goal from a sharp angle with 6:19 remaining as the puck caromed off his leg.
"I just check in the middle of the ice with my shoulder, kind of turn my head and check what's going on, and when I get back to Cleary again, he's already shot the puck.
"The puck hit me in the leg and go to the net. I tried to catch it. I was too late."
About two minutes after Cleary's goal, Todd Bertuzzi's shot hit David Schlemko and skidded past Bryzgalov to wipe out any hope of a Coyotes comeback. Patrick Eaves scored an empty-netter with 35 seconds left for his second goal of the game.
Shane Doan said the Coyotes could not get the game going the way they wanted to; the Red Wings, he said, were able to play their game.
"With this team, I don't think we really ever questioned the effort," he said. "It's always been there, and sometimes we might not have executed as well as wanted to.
"Tonight, the effort was decent, and it was there, as usual, and we needed to find a way to get that one to get momentum ore on our side."
The Coyotes, whose power play rapidly improved in the series, scored on a carryover at 1:09 of the second period to take a 3-2 lead. Martin Hanzal popped the puck past Howard's stick after a perfect pass from Radim Vrbata. The second assist went to Ray Whitney.
Bryzgalov's failure to corral rebounds on a short-handed situation made it a short-lived lead. Niklas Kronwall scored at 4:49 on a rebound of a Daniel Cleary shot, who got his chance slapping at the puck after Kronwall's initial attempt. The Red Wings went on the man advantage after a high-sticking penalty on Lauri Korpikoski.
The Coyotes, who were stunned by two Red Wings goals in 44 seconds early in the first period Monday, could not afford to start Game 4 in a similar hole. Much of that onus fell on Bryzgalov, who had been stung for 12 goals in the first three games.
It did not take long for the Red Wings to put Bryzgalov back on his heels again, but the Coyotes responded with two goals in four minutes to take a 2-1 lead at 9:46 of the first.
The go-ahead goal was notched by Doan on a wrister from the left circle, giving the Coyotes their first lead in the series since the 2:16 mark of Game 1. Howard made the initial stop, but the puck, which hit off Nicklas Lidstrom's skate, trickled between Howard's legs. The assists came from Kyle Turris and Keith Yandle.
The tying score was recorded by Taylor Pyatt, and it seemed like karma. His shot bounced off the skate of the Red Wings' Jonathan Ericsson; in the Game 3 loss, a puck bounced off of Pyatt to give Detroit a goal. Ed Jovanovski had the assist.
Detroit's puck-handling whiz, Pavel Datsyuk, came up with a dazzling individual effort, sending a no-look pass to Tomas Holmstrom, who scored 3:47 into the game.
Another outstanding play by Darren Helm helped Detroit tie the score at 2 entering the second period. He flattened Yandle behind the net, centered the puck, and Eaves redirected it past Bryzgalov with 1:13 to go.
The Red Wings outshot the Coyotes 12-6 in the first 20 minutes, but the Coyotes had 18 hits, 10 more than Detroit.
Coyotes report
Key player: Red Wings right wing Daniel Cleary had the go-ahead goal and two assists.
Key moment: Cleary caught Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov out of position to score the winning goal with 6:19 remaining in the game.
Key number: 5. Consecutive playoff losses by Bryzgalov when facing Jimmy Howard.
