Phil Kessel Scores Again, But Maple Leafs Fall to Coyotes

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Dec 16, 2009

Phil Kessel Scores Again, But Maple Leafs Fall to Coyotes TORONTO — Petr Prucha scored
twice, and Keith Yandle and Martin Hanzal each had three assists in the
Phoenix Coyotes’ 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday
night.

Vernon Fiddler, Paul Bissonnette,
Scottie Upshall and Radim Vrbata also scored, and Daniel Winnik added
two assists. Phil Kessel scored for the third straight game for the
Maple Leafs, and Jamal Mayers and Alexei Ponikarovsky added goals.

The Coyotes are 7-1-1 in their last nine games and 20-12-2 overall.

Prucha opened the scoring in the
first period, taking pass at the side of the crease and wiring a shot
short-side past Vesa Toskala.

Some sloppy defensive play by Toronto
allowed Prucha to put his team up 2-0 just 51 seconds into the second,
but exactly a minute later Mayers got that one back on a breakaway
started by defenseman Francois Beauchemin.

However, Phoenix took over with three straight goals.

Fiddler backhanded home a loose puck
that came to rest in the slot before Bissonnette tipped home a point
shot from Yandle to make it 4-1.

Upshall was credited with his goal
when the puck went through the Toronto goalmouth, deflected off Ian
White
‘s skate and trickled over the line before Toskala could smother
it with his glove.

Kessel scored a late second-period
power-play goal before Ponikarovsky brought the score the Maple Leafs
to 5-3 from the high slot in the third.

The loss ended a four-game home
winning streak for Toronto, while the Coyotes earned their fourth
consecutive victory over the Leafs.

Notes
Coyotes captain Shane Doan
played his 999th game. … Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn was a healthy
scratch for the third straight game. … The game was Phoenix’s first
in Toronto since Jan. 14, 2006.

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