Hanzal's hat trick leads Coyotes past Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

12/05/2008 - Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Hanzal had a hat trick in the first two periods and Steve Reinprecht scored twice in the third period, including the game-winner, to lift the Phoenix Coyotes to a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Derek Morris and Ed Jovanovski each collected two assists while Todd Fedoruk also scored for the Coyotes, who have won four of their last five games on the heels of a six-game skid (0-4-2).

Mikael Tellqvist was aiming for a chance to do some damage against his old club in making his second straight start, but allowed three goals on just nine shots. Ilya Bryzgalov was called upon to make the final nine saves, picking up the win for Phoenix, which finished off a four-game homestand 3-1-0 and is 8-4-1 overall as the host this year.

"I did it more to push the team, more than the fact that I took Tellqvist out," Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky said of the goaltending change. "Bryzgalov has worked hard the last three days and we needed a pressure cooker out of him in the third -- and he went in there and made a couple big saves,"

Alexei Ponikarovsky notched a pair of goals and Jason Blake scored once and tallied two assists for Toronto, which ended a three-game west coast road trip 1-2. After defeating the Kings on Monday the Leafs lost in San Jose on Tuesday for the first time since Brian Burke officially took over general manager duties last Saturday.

Vesa Toskala was beaten six times on 26 shots to take the loss, Toronto's seventh in the last nine games overall.

"We didn't look like we had anything in the tank in the third period -- they got us on our heels and we never, ever got it going," Leafs head coach Ron Wilson said. "We just need everybody with a better effort."

Phoenix took a 4-3 lead early in the third with a goal 5:21 into the frame. Shane Doan gathered the puck behind the net and sent a pass out to the right point for Morris, who let fly a wrister that was deflected by Reinprecht on the way in.

The two combined again with 5:38 remaining to gain a 5-3 edge. Morris' shot from the high slot was knocked down in front and Reinprecht collected the disc down low and ripped the puck past a screened Toskala.

Viktor Tikhonov set up Fedoruk between the circles for a goal into a wide open net less than two minutes later as Toskala was out of position and the Coyotes skated away with the win.

"We feel great -- in the locker room everyone feels good and you want to get on that long streak," Hanzal said.

Hanzal found the back of the net on a wrister just 2:07 into the game but Ponikarovsky answered with a rebound in close off a shot by Blake less than two minutes later to even the score.

Hanzal then swatted the puck past Toskala off a carom from an errant shot from Mikkel Boedeker wide of the net with 7:55 remaining in the period to regain the lead. Ponikarovsky, though, had the answer again, taking a feed from Dominic Moore for a quick shot down low that beat Tellqvist with 5:47 left.

Hanzal completed the trick with a short-handed marker just 27 seconds into the middle stanza, taking a feed from Zbynek Michalek in the neutral zone and faking Toskala down to the ice to bury the disc top shelf.

But with 5:05 left in the frame Blake made it a 3-3 game with his fourth of the season. Moore intercepted an errant pass in the neutral zone and carried it into the offensive zone, firing a shot that caromed off Tellqvist before Blake swooped in to pounce on the rebound.

Tellqvist finished off the second period before being replaced by Bryzgalov to start the third.

Game Notes

Phoenix has won its last three versus Toronto, but the Leafs have still won seven of their last 12 against the Coyotes franchise...Tellqvist spent three- plus seasons with Toronto before being traded to Phoenix during the 2006-07 season. He had never faced his former team before Thursday...The Maple Leafs are now 5-7-2 as the road team this season...Moore finished with two helpers for Toronto...It was Hanzal's first career hat trick and also his first career multi-goal game...The Leafs have allowed 33 goals in the last nine games and gave up five-plus goals for the ninth time this season.