National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Phoenix 3, San Jose 0
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 10, 2012
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Justin St. Pierre, Chris Lee
Linesmen: Brian Mach, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 14994

COYOTES 3, SHARKS 0: Mike Smith turned aside a season high-tying 42 shots for his fifth shutout and host Phoenix snapped a five-game losing streak.

Rookie defenseman Michael Stone scored his first career goal and added an assist as the Coyotes sent San Jose to its fifth consecutive defeat.

Mikkel Boedker and Raffi Torres also scored for Phoenix, which remained three points back of Pacific Division leader Dallas.

Smith made 16 saves in the opening period and withstood a 17-shot assault in the third to register his 16th career shutout.

San Jose lost for the 11th time in 13 games (2-8-3) and was blanked for the second time during its five-game skid to fall one point behind Colorado for the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference.

Just as they had done in Thursday's shootout loss at Dallas, the Sharks applied heavy pressure in the opening period but couldn't score despite the 16-9 edge in shots.

The scoreless opening period ended a five-game stretch for Phoenix in which it had fell behind by two goals in the first 20 minutes.

Boedker put the Coyotes on top at 13:58 of the second period, collecting a rebound in front and beating Antti Niemi for his first goal in 10 games.

Stone, playing in his eighth career game, doubled the advantage with just under two minutes to play in the period, taking advantage of a giveaway by Dominic Moore and hammering a slap shot past Niemi.

Phoenix put the Sharks in a 3-0 hole just 39 seconds into the third period when Torres converted a rebound of a shot by Shane Doan for his second goal in as many games.

The Coyotes had a great chance to widen the margin but Ray Whitney clanged one off the post on a penalty shot.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Boedker's opening goal gave Phoenix its first lead since Feb. 27. ... San Jose entered Saturday's game off back-to-back shootout losses, failing to score in eight attempts. The Sharks lost for the fourth time in the last 14 meetings with Phoenix. The home team has won five of the last six matchups. ... Coyotes G Smith posted a perfect 11-0-0 mark in February, but entered Saturday's game 0-3-0 in four starts this month.
Top Game Performances
 
San Jose   Phoenix
N/A Points Michael Stone 2
N/A Goals Michael Stone 1
N/A Assists Marc-Antoine Pouliot 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Antti Niemi .897 Save Percentage Mike Smith 1.000
Antti Niemi 26 Saves Mike Smith 42
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
San Jose 42 0 0-3 1-1 2 26
Phoenix 29 3 0-1 3-3 6 22
Upcoming Games
  • Phoenix will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .514 after a loss.
  • San Jose will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Sharks have a W/L % of .515 after a win and .471 after a loss.
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