Lindholm's memorable night leads to Ducks victory
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With his dad visiting from Sweden for his first NHL game, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm provided a moment that will last a lifetime.
Lindholm, a 19-year-old rookie, scored his first goal and recorded an assist as the Ducks rallied for a 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes before a crowd of 14,045 at Honda Center on Wednesday night.
"He watches all the games back home on the TV or computer," Lindholm said of his father. "This is his first game live. He's always going to be watching. I'll probably give him the puck to take back to Sweden."
Right winger Corey Perry's goal with two seconds remaining in the second period was the turning point for the Ducks. Perry's goal broke a 2-2 tie. Defenseman Cam Fowler added a third-period goal and center Andrew Cogliano capped the scoring with an empty-netter in the final minute for the Ducks (13-3-1), who snapped the Coyotes' (11-4-2) five-game winning streak.
The win allowed Anaheim, which has won six of its past seven games, to increase its slim Pacific Division lead to three points over the Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.
"We were definitely treating this game with tons of importance," said Fowler, who scored his first goal this season. "We knew the type of roll Phoenix was on coming in here, and it seems like nobody seems to be losing in our division right now. We understood how important these two points were and luckily we were able to come out and put a good effort out there."
Center Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist for Anaheim. But Lindholm, who leads all rookies with a plus-13 rating and is tied for second overall, was clearly the center of attention.
"I know when I first came into the league I was pressing to get that first goal," Fowler said. "I was very happy to see him score. He's been playing great for us. It was good for me to get on the board, too."
Coyotes right winger Shane Doan and defenseman Michael Stone scored for Phoenix.
"We had some costly turnovers," Stone said. "I think that's what you can narrow it down to. We gave up too many odd man rushes. They capitalized on the odd man rushes. When you turn the puck over, you don't spend a whole lot of time in the offensive zone. You tend to play defense a lot. I think that's first and foremost. You have to take care of the puck."
Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller and Phoenix goalie Mike Smith each finished with 24 saves.
Coyotes center Mike Ribeiro set up Doan, who raced alone down the center of the ice and slapped the puck past Hiller for a 1-0 lead at 4:25 of the first period. It was Doan's sixth goal of the season.
After a Phoenix miscue in the neutral zone, Lindholm tied the score at 1 by converting a pass from center Mathieu Perreault with five minutes remaining in the period.
The Coyotes regained the lead on a power-play goal by Stone, his third this season, at 12:40 of the second.
The Ducks cashed in on a power play as Getzlaf ripped his seventh goal, from near the left circle, to knot the score at 2 with 4:24 left in the second.
Perry, who leads the league with four game-winning goals, got a stick on a Lindholm blast from just below the blue line for a 3-2 Ducks' advantage at 19:58 of the second. Perry leads the Ducks with 10 goals.
"You can't win a game in this league if you are going to turn the puck over and be undisciplined," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "We knew it was going to be a hard game. It was a great test for our team to see how we reacted and we didn't play well enough. We didn't play disciplined enough to win."
NOTES: The Ducks are 6-0-0 at home, their best start in franchise history. ... This was the second of five meetings between the two clubs. Anaheim earned a 3-2 shootout win in the initial meeting Oct. 18 at Honda Center. ... Anaheim G Frederik Andersen is 4-0 in four games with a 1.36 goals-against-average and .952 save percentage, leading rookies in all three categories. ... After taking a stick to the mouth and losing four teeth at Philadelphia on Oct. 29, RW Teemu Selanne returned and played his 1,399th career game. ... Phoenix D Derek Morris was a scratch. Morris left Tuesday's game against Vancouver in the first period with a lower-body injury. His status is unknown. ... The Coyotes return home to face the Washington Capitals on Saturday. ... The Ducks play the second of their three-game homestand Friday against the Buffalo Sabres.
