Coyotes Rally To Tip Stars
The Phoenix Coyotes are the hottest team in the NHL, and center Jeremy Roenick continues to add fuel to the fire.
Roenick scored the game-winner with 2:59 left in regulation, just 26 seconds after Trevor Letowski tied it, as Phoenix rallied to beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 Monday night.
Roenick's shot pinballed off the skate of Dallas goaltender Ed Belfour and into the net to put the Coyotes in front for the first time. Phoenix improved to 9-1-0 in its last 10 games behind Roenick's 16th goal.
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"I fired it, it flipped up on edge and it went in after it hit Belfour's skate," Roenick said. "When the puck is going in for you, you take every opportunity to fire it on the net."
Roenick's early pace suggests that he has returned from the broken jaw he suffered last season from a check by Dallas defenseman Derian Hatcher that earned Hatcher a seven-game suspension. Roenick has scored 100 points in a season three times and has had two seasons of at least 50 goals.
"We're productive defensively and offensively," Roenick said. "We're getting outstanding goaltending and we believe that when we're down, we can still come back to win."
Letowski's deflection at 16:35 beat Belfour to even the score.
Blake Sloan had given the Stars a 2-1 lead midway through the second period. Sloan took possession at the bottom of the left circle, turned and fired the puck pasBob Essensa stick side at 10:30 of the second. It was Sloan's second goal of the season.
Essensa stopped 18 shots to stretch his streak to 10 games without a loss. His 9-0-1 mark is the best start of a season for a goalie in franchise history.
"It's a combination of a lot of things," Essensa said. "I'm playing behind a team that's better than any team I've ever played behind before. Even if we're down a goal or two, we believe we can come back. Against a team like this, you don't think you can come back from being down 2-1 in the third period in their building, but we found a way to do it."
Dallas returned home after an 4-0-0 road trip, but the Stars are 1-5-1 in their last seven home games.
"It's been pretty frustrating for us at home all year," Stars center Mike Modano said. "We always seem to find ways to shoot ourselves in the foot. Tonight we deserved a better fate. We wanted to get something positive started here."
Dallas grabbed a 1-0 lead at 4:34 of the first period on Guy Carbonneau's third goal. All of Carbonneau's goals this season have come against Phoenix.
Mike Sullivan tied it 1:14 later from the slot with his second.
The Coyotes were without left wing Keith Tkachuk, out with a neck injury.
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