BROWNNOSE
BOOTLICKER
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Ray Whitney scored two goals and added an assist to help the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Saturday night.
Lee Stempniak had a goal and two assists, Adrian Aucoin and Sami Lepisto each added a goal and assist, and Taylor Pyatt also scored for the Coyotes, who won their fourth straight. Phoenix is 6-0-1 in its past seven and has risen from 11th place to fourth in the Western Conference.
The Coyotes were without defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who sustained an undisclosed lower body injury on a hit from Toronto's Mike Brown on Thursday.
Matt Beleskey and Corey Perry scored for the Ducks, whose three-game winning streak was snapped. Anaheim has lost only twice in eight games.
Whitney gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead with a one-timer from between the circles at 7:35 of the first period — his 900th NHL point. Beleskey tied it at 9:18 with a shot from just above the right circle.
The Coyotes dominated the rest of the way.
Aucoin gave Phoenix the lead for good 31 seconds into the second period with a rising drive from the top of the right circle. Pyatt made it 3-1 at 12:29 when he redirected Keith Yandle's shot from the high slot past Jonas Hiller.
Lepisto extended the lead to 3-1, taking a pass from Whitney on a 2-on-1 rush and putting a shot into the vacated left side of the net at 18:19 of the period.
That ended the night for Hiller, who surrendered the four goals on 26 shots.
Whitney capped the scoring at 7:01 of the third, beating Curtis McElhinney from the low slot.
NOTES: Anaheim had outscored its opponents 14-4 in the three games before Saturday. ... Phoenix RW Radim Vrbata had two assists to give him 300 points in his career. Coyotes C Vernon Fiddler went to the dressing room after a fight with Beleskey less than two minutes into the third. Yandle slashed Perry across the right hand in front of the Phoenix net, and Perry responded moments later by shoving Yandle to the ice immediately before Fiddler and Beleskey squared off. The Coyotes have scored at least four goals in each of their past four games and in seven of 10. Before this stretch, Phoenix had netted four total goals in four games
