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PITTSBURGH -- The Phoenix Coyotes avoided surrendering a third-period lead on back-to-back nights, holding on to a one-goal lead throughout the third to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 at Consol Energy Center on Tuesday.
Coyotes goaltender Thomas Greiss made 23 saves, 15 coming in the second and third periods, after allowing two goals in the first, and Mikkel Boedker scored the game-winning goal with 6:42 remaining in the second for Phoenix.
Greiss, who was scheduled to play against Pittsburgh regardless, started in place of injured No. 1 goalie Mike Smith, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained Monday night, when the Coyotes blew a 3-2 lead in the third period of their game against the New York Rangers on the way to a 4-3 overtime loss.
The Coyotes temporarily denied the Penguins of a Stanley Cup Playoff berth, which Pittsburgh could have clinched with a win. Phoenix increased its lead for the Western Conference's second wild-card spot to three points on the Dallas Stars, who lost to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Pittsburgh has lost five of seven (2-4-1) but owns a 13-point lead in the Metropolitan Division on the second-place Rangers.
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 26 shots, has not won in his last five starts since earning his 34th win of the season by shutting out the Washington Capitals on March 11.
After a back-and-forth first period that resulted in a 2-2 tie entering the intermission, the Coyotes scored the lone goal of a defensive second period to carry a one-goal lead into the third.
With Jussi Jokinen in the penalty box for slashing, Boedker scored his fifth power-play goal of the season. Boedker collected the puck at the skates of Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik and Coyotes forward Shane Doan before wristing a shot over Fleury's left shoulder and into the upper-left corner of the Pittsburgh net with 5:13 remaining in the period.
It was the 18th goal for Boedker, who had an assist Phoenix's second first-period goal.
After the Penguins possessed the puck for more than two minutes midway through the first period, Phoenix capitalized on a turnover to score the game's first goal.
Olli Maatta raced to the puck behind the Pittsburgh net and attempted a pass to Matt Niskanen that was intercepted by Martin Hanzal. Hanzal slid the puck to David Moss, who chipped it behind Fleury for his first goal since Jan. 30, seventh this season, with 10:54 left in the opening period.
Jokinen seemed to tie the game on a power play 2:55 later, when he one-timed a pass from James Neal past a diving Greiss, but the puck appeared to hit the crossbar, and the goal was waved off. The play was reviewed more than two minutes later, and Jokinen was awarded his 18th goal after it was ruled his shot hit the goal camera in the back of the net.
Fleury preserved the tie by stopping Martin Erat on a breakaway with 6:35 remaining in the first, but the Coyotes retook the lead a little more than a minute later when Antoine Vermette poked the puck, which had settled between Fleury's pads, into the upper-right corner of the net for a 2-1 Phoenix lead with 5:13 until the first intermission.
Penguins forward Taylor Pyatt tied the game again with 4.1 seconds left in the period by deflecting a Rob Scuderi slap shot past Greiss. Pyatt had not scored a goal in his previous 16 games.
Pittsburgh played without forward Evgeni Malkin, who will miss 2-3 weeks due to a foot injury. Malkin is second on the Penguins with 72 points, 23 behind Sidney Crosby, and tied for third with 23 goals.
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