The Phoenix Coyotes were left for dead.
So was their power play.
Both came back to life Sunday at Joe Louis Arena and, working in tandem, combined to hammer the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 and bring the Western Conference first-round series between the two clubs back to Jobing.com Arena Tuesday for a decisive seventh game.
Entering the game skidding on an 0-for-19 slump, the Coyotes' power play exploded for three goals, including the game winner from Radim Vrbata midway through the second period.
"It won us the game," Phoenix defenceman Ed Jovanovski said. "Our power play won us the game."
"We had some real good puck movement, and good shots," said defenceman Mathieu Schneider, who scored his first of the series on a Phoenix power play.
Get shorty
The Phoenix penalty killers also came up big, killing off five Detroit power plays, including a five-on-three advantage for 1:09 in the first period, and opening the scoring on a shorthanded goal by Lauri Korpikoski 4:10 into the contest.
"Our PK was huge," Coyotes defenceman Keith Yandle said."Any time you give a team three power plays in the first period, especially a team like Detroit, it's tough. But we rose to the occasion. They had all the power plays, but they weren't able to get a goal.
"The shorthanded goal by Korpi took the crowd right out of it."
Wings coach Mike Babcock viewed Phoenix's special-teams work as the turning point of the game.
"They won the special-teams battle and that sucked the life out of our team," Babcock said.
Back up
All season long, adversity and the Coyotes have been constant companions.
The team was up for sale and the players didn't know where they were headed in the summer, a storyline that's continued throughout the year after the NHL purchased the franchise in bankruptcy court.
Entering Sunday's game, the franchise had never won when trailing 3-2 in a playoff series.
"We stuck together to fight through the adversity of not knowing what was going to happen," Yandle said.
"Facing up to adversity has been what we've done all season," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "It's been what we're about, so let's keep doing it."
Neutralized
As has been the case all series, when the Coyotes get ahead, they seldom surrender much to the Wings.
"You can't open yourself up defensively against them," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "They're so patient and good at waiting for chances. You have to continue to play with patience, you have to try to hang onto pucks more and spend more time down there.
"They're doing a good job of being in front of our guys. Very seldom do we get a three-on-two against them. You've got to spend more grind time in their zone and get chances that way. Try to wear out their D, but also take more shots then we did."
Easy Bryzy
Reminding everyone why he's a Vezina Trophy finalist, Phoenix netminder Ilya Bryzgalov made 31 saves and was remarkable in the first period, turning aside 14 Detroit drives to preserve the Coyotes' 1-0 edge.
"I thought they came out trying to set the tone early," Bryzgalov said. "They got a five-on-three power play and five-on-four power play, but we were able to withstand it. I saw the puck pretty well because of my D."
Tippett and the rest of the Coyotes have grown accustomed to such performances.
"That's what he's done for us all year," Tippett said of his goalie.
Doan doings
Phoenix captain Shane Doan (upper-body injury) was a scratch for the third straight game.
"We'll continue to monitor him day by day," Tippett said. "His energy and enthusiasm for the game is top-notch.
Doan's status for Game 7 remains uncertain.
"We'll make a game-time decision," Tippett said. "I know he's close, but we have to be smart."
Even though he didn't play, the Coyotes felt their leader was a huge part of their successful equation Sunday.
"He was a presence all night," Schneider said of Doan. "He was in the room talking to guys between periods."
Lang in
The Coyotes did make one lineup change for Game 6, inserting veteran centre Robert Lang in place of Petteri Nokelainen, and Lang's work along the boards offered a boost to the Phoenix power-play unit. "Robert Lang does a great job of calming things down on the half wall," Schneider.
That's where Lang was working from when he set up Vrbata's game winner from that spot.
"I was always pretty comfortable there, but when you score on the first power play, it kind of sets the tone and puts everything at ease," Lang said.
So was their power play.
Both came back to life Sunday at Joe Louis Arena and, working in tandem, combined to hammer the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 and bring the Western Conference first-round series between the two clubs back to Jobing.com Arena Tuesday for a decisive seventh game.
Entering the game skidding on an 0-for-19 slump, the Coyotes' power play exploded for three goals, including the game winner from Radim Vrbata midway through the second period.
"It won us the game," Phoenix defenceman Ed Jovanovski said. "Our power play won us the game."
"We had some real good puck movement, and good shots," said defenceman Mathieu Schneider, who scored his first of the series on a Phoenix power play.
Get shorty
The Phoenix penalty killers also came up big, killing off five Detroit power plays, including a five-on-three advantage for 1:09 in the first period, and opening the scoring on a shorthanded goal by Lauri Korpikoski 4:10 into the contest.
"Our PK was huge," Coyotes defenceman Keith Yandle said."Any time you give a team three power plays in the first period, especially a team like Detroit, it's tough. But we rose to the occasion. They had all the power plays, but they weren't able to get a goal.
"The shorthanded goal by Korpi took the crowd right out of it."
Wings coach Mike Babcock viewed Phoenix's special-teams work as the turning point of the game.
"They won the special-teams battle and that sucked the life out of our team," Babcock said.
Back up
All season long, adversity and the Coyotes have been constant companions.
The team was up for sale and the players didn't know where they were headed in the summer, a storyline that's continued throughout the year after the NHL purchased the franchise in bankruptcy court.
Entering Sunday's game, the franchise had never won when trailing 3-2 in a playoff series.
"We stuck together to fight through the adversity of not knowing what was going to happen," Yandle said.
"Facing up to adversity has been what we've done all season," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "It's been what we're about, so let's keep doing it."
Neutralized
As has been the case all series, when the Coyotes get ahead, they seldom surrender much to the Wings.
"You can't open yourself up defensively against them," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "They're so patient and good at waiting for chances. You have to continue to play with patience, you have to try to hang onto pucks more and spend more time down there.
"They're doing a good job of being in front of our guys. Very seldom do we get a three-on-two against them. You've got to spend more grind time in their zone and get chances that way. Try to wear out their D, but also take more shots then we did."
Easy Bryzy
Reminding everyone why he's a Vezina Trophy finalist, Phoenix netminder Ilya Bryzgalov made 31 saves and was remarkable in the first period, turning aside 14 Detroit drives to preserve the Coyotes' 1-0 edge.
"I thought they came out trying to set the tone early," Bryzgalov said. "They got a five-on-three power play and five-on-four power play, but we were able to withstand it. I saw the puck pretty well because of my D."
Tippett and the rest of the Coyotes have grown accustomed to such performances.
"That's what he's done for us all year," Tippett said of his goalie.
Doan doings
Phoenix captain Shane Doan (upper-body injury) was a scratch for the third straight game.
"We'll continue to monitor him day by day," Tippett said. "His energy and enthusiasm for the game is top-notch.
Doan's status for Game 7 remains uncertain.
"We'll make a game-time decision," Tippett said. "I know he's close, but we have to be smart."
Even though he didn't play, the Coyotes felt their leader was a huge part of their successful equation Sunday.
"He was a presence all night," Schneider said of Doan. "He was in the room talking to guys between periods."
Lang in
The Coyotes did make one lineup change for Game 6, inserting veteran centre Robert Lang in place of Petteri Nokelainen, and Lang's work along the boards offered a boost to the Phoenix power-play unit. "Robert Lang does a great job of calming things down on the half wall," Schneider.
That's where Lang was working from when he set up Vrbata's game winner from that spot.
"I was always pretty comfortable there, but when you score on the first power play, it kind of sets the tone and puts everything at ease," Lang said.
