Bryzgalov Shuts Out Oilers In 5-0 Coyotes Win

Added on Nov 24, 2010 by J Merrill in

NHL

Ilya Bryzgalov, and the Phoenix Coyotes, absolutely dismantled the Edmonton Oilers in a 5-0 routing. Bryzgalov made 23 saves for his 17th career NHL shutout, and helped the Coyotes on to their 7^th consecutive win. Bryzgalov nearly had another shutout at Calgary last Wednesday, but Bourque managed to score with 3:52 left to scratch the shutout. The Coyotes settled for a 3-1 victory in that one. “It was close in Calgary, but unfortunately I gave up the goal,” Bryzgalov said. “Tonight we did everything right.”

Martin Hanzal and Lee Stempniak each scored twice to give Bryzgalov more than he needed as the Russian stopped all 23 shots in the easy 5-0 win. Also, Stempniak added an assist, Wojtek Wolski had a goal and an assist, and David Schlemko and Eric Belanger had a pair of assists for the Coyotes, who moved into first place in the Pacific Division.

“We’re only just past the 20-game mark,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “I’ll get excited when I feel we’re good enough to do something. Give all the credit in the world to these guys for how hard they’re working, but it’s early.”

The Coyotes have now won 7 straight, which ties St. Louis for the longest winning streak in the NHL this, and are now 7-0-2 in their last nine games. Tuesday’s win moved the Coyotes, a mediocre 4-5-5 after the first 14 games, past idle Los Angeles and into first place in the Pacific Division. They are within one point of Western Conference-leading Detroit, although the Red Wings have played three fewer games.

Tippet continued “We are a team in every sense of the word. Every night, someone different contributes and we have a team that recognizes how we have to play to be successful. Our goaltending has been great and we have a group that is working pretty hard right now.” He continued by saying how much he has enjoyed the team playing for each other. He concluded “It was good to hear guys on the bench in that last five or six minutes to say ‘Let’s play hard, let’s get the shutout for Bryz! That shows our team chemistry is coming around. Missing Jovanovski and Aucoin, those are two big- minute guys for us and the people who jumped in did a really good job.”

Its an entirely different situation for the struggling Edmonton Oilers. Coming off a losing streak snapping win against the Ducks, the Oilers have only won one other game in the past last 11. “We win a game and we figure we’re hoisting the Cup or something, I don’t know. It’s a joke,” Edmonton coach Tom Renney said. “The battle level was nonexistent tonight. The pride in the jersey was not close to where it needed to be. It was an absolute joke, a travesty.”