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Summary The Phoenix Coyotes claim 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators with sudden death goal.
Ray Whitney scored 14:04 into the first overtime to lift the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators Friday (April 27) night in game one of their Western Conference semifinal series in Arizona. The Predators got a late third period power play goal from Martin Erat to even the score at 3-3 and force overtime where the Coyotes Martin Hanzal won a faceoff deep in the Nashville zone and tipped the puck to a diving Whitney who managed to knock it past Predators goalie Pekka Rinne for the game winner.Radim Vrbata, Rostislav Klesla, and Mikkel Boedker recorded the three regulation goals for Phoenix with Mike Smith stopping 39 shots to earn his fifth win of the postseason.Brandon Yip and Andrei Kositsyn scored Nashvilles first two goals while Vezina Trophy (leagues top goaltender) finalist Rinne could manage just 20 saves on 24 Coyotes shots to take the loss.Game two of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Sunday night in Arizona.
