The Marshall Mathers LP2 - Eminem
CHICAGO -- Forget low-scoring, hard-checking games between the Phoenix Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks.
Two teams that pride themselves on defensive play opened it up Thursday night at United Center and traded goals before the Blackhawks emerged with a 5-4 victory on Brandon Pirri's goal in the fourth round of the shootout.
Pirri's wrister trickled past Mike Smith to start the fourth round of the tiebreaker, and the game ended when Phoenix center Mike Ribeiro followed by hitting the goal post.
Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Pirri had goals in regulation for the Blackhawks (13-2-4). Michael Stone scored a pair for the Coyotes (13-4-3), who also got goals from Shane Doan and\ Lauri Korpikoski. Smith, who came into the game leading all NHL goalies in shots faced (555) and saves (509), faced 52 shots and made 48 saves, including 16 on 17 shots in the third period.
Corey Crawford stopped 26 shots for the Blackhawks.
It was an atypical start, considering how soundly the Coyotes have played defensively during the past few years, especially against the Blackhawks. The game was tied 2-2 at the first intermission after the Coyotes overcame a two-goal deficit.
Saad scored off his own rebound 2:37 into the game and Sharp made it 2-0 at 6:22 with his fifth goal, a blast from the blue line that traveled through a nice screen by Andrew Shaw. Patrick Kane assisted on each goal and Sharp, the NHL's Third Star of the Week, extended his points streak to four games.
Stone's cross-checking penalty led to Sharp's goal, but it didn't take him long to atone. He cut the deficit in half 41 seconds after getting out of the penalty box by wristing a shot from the point that deflected off Pirri's stick and evaded Crawford.
Doan chipped a rebound over Crawford's left pad at 14:04 to tie it at 2-2, and that's how it stayed despite Phoenix getting a four-minute power play 10 seconds later. The Coyotes managed to only one shot during the long advantage to erase some momentum.
Hossa put Chicago ahead 3-2 at 5:05 of the second with his ninth goal and third in the past three games. After wristing a high shot from the top of the left circle, Hossa beat Keith Yandle to the low slot to collect the rebound off Smith's shoulder, then fired a well-placed wrist shot that went into the net between Smith's blocker and right pad.
Like the first, this lead was short-lived.
Korpikoski and Stone scored goals 2:11 apart to put the Coyotes up 4-3. After Korpikoski put a rebound of his own shot between Crawford's pads at 14:55, Stone upped his season goals total to five by firing a wrister from above the right circle into the upper left corner.
But Phoenix couldn't hold the lead, either. Pirri tipped Brent Seabrook's slapper from the right circle past Smith 3:00 into the third period to get the Blackhawks even.
Chicago proceeded to blitz Smith, putting eight shots on him during the next eight minutes before the Coyotes finally responded with one of their own.
The Marshall Mathers LP2 - Eminem
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