GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Coyotes blew a two-goal, second-period lead, but Robert Lang and Lauri Korpikoski scored in the shootout as Phoenix beat Calgary 3-2 on Thursday, extending the Flames’ winless streak to nine games.
Keith Yandle and Shane Doan scored in regulation for the Coyotes, 21-1-2 when leading after two periods. Phoenix earned its 31st win of the season in its 54th game, the fastest the Coyotes have reached that total in the 30-year history of the franchise.
Mark Giordano and rookie Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames, who are in the midst of their longest winless streak since dropping 11 straight during December and January of the 1985-86 season.
Backlund and Olli Jokinen were stopped in the shootout by Phoenix’s Ilya Bryzgalov, who earned a career-best 28th win.
The Coyotes lost leading goal scorer Scottie Upshall to an apparent right knee injury late in the game. Upshall has 18 goals, including eight in the last 15 games.
Yandle snapped a scoreless tie with a power-play goal 8:32 into the second period on a slapshot that trickled between Miikka Kiprusoff’s pads. Yandle has three goals in two games. It was the 32nd time a Coyotes defenceman has scored this season, the most in the NHL.
Doan made it 2-0 at 18:09, eluding former Coyotes forward Daymond Langkow and letting go a wrist shot that got past Kiprusoff. It was Doan’s fourth goal in six games and his 11th point in that span.
The Flames got back within a goal 1:06 later when Giordano stickhandled around defencemen Ed Jovanovski and Zbynek Michalek before squeezing the puck under Bryzgalov.
Calgary dominated play early in the third and tied the game when the 20-year-old Backlund, playing in his third NHL game, used a screen to bank in the puck off the far post.
NOTES: The Flames played without forwards Craig Conroy (knee), Nigel Dawes (leg) and David Moss (shoulder). Yandle has a career-high eight goals. … The Flames were in first place in the Northwest Division on Jan. 5 before a 1-9-2 skid. … The Coyotes are 20-8-2 at home after earning only 23 wins there last season. Phoenix is 24-2-2 this season when scoring first and 15-0-1 in the past 16 games it led 1-0.
