Friday, Feb. 9 9:00pm ET
Tkachuk earns 600th career point
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BOX SCORE
PHOENIX (AP) – Sean Burke was uncanny in goal again.
|  | | Sean Burke got his first shutout since blanking the New York Rangers on Nov. 12. |
Given some of his performances in a season when the Phoenix
Coyotes are consistently outshot, it wasn't a given that his
teammates would notice, but they did.
"He's been exceptional all year," Keith Tkachuk said after the
Coyotes beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-0 Friday night. "He's playing
unbelievable. He's making big saves. He's saving us. You know, he's
saved a lot of hockey games for us."
Burke had 38 saves for his first shutout in three months.
Tkachuk scored his 600th career point with a first-period goal,
and Jeremy Roenick added a goal with 8:51 left, giving the
beleaguered Burke a cushion and helping the Coyotes snap a
three-game losing streak at home.
"He was up to the task of every opportunity we had tonight, and
we had a lot," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "I really
thought we played the game like we weren't going to be denied the
win."
The Coyotes were winless in their five previous games (0-3-1-1),
but got the first decision in their series against the Oilers this
season. They skated to 3-3 and 1-1 ties in two earlier games in
Edmonton.
"We're in a situation where we need a spark, and the goaltender
stepped forward and stole the game," coach Bob Francis said.
The shutout, Burke's third of the season and 25th of his career,
ended a 27-start drought for the All-Star goalie. He had two
shutouts in his first 14 starts, but hadn't had one since blanking
the New York Rangers 2-0 on Nov. 12.
Burke had 39 saves that game and 45 against Colorado on Oct. 30
-- stopping 112 shots in the three solid performances.
Roenick and Tkachuk assisted on each other's goals, showing the
kind of teamwork envisioned when the Coyotes acquired Roenick in
1996.
On Tkachuk's goal, Roenick got the puck from Stan Neckar at the
Phoenix blue line, skated through the neutral zone and left a
deceptive drop pass at the top of the circle.
Tkachuk blasted a rising wrist shot past goalie Tommy Salo with
8:19 left in the first.
Tkachuk repaid the favor when he picked off a pass by Doug
Weight and sent a nice backhand crossing pass to Roenick for a
2-on-1 rush -- one of the few times the Coyotes, who were outshot
38-15, overpowered the Oilers. Roenick fired from the bottom of the
circle, slanting the puck sharply in front of Salo and into the far
side of the net.
Burke was at his best in the second, when he made 18 saves --
eight during three Edmonton power plays -- and got three ovations.
He earned the last when he found the puck with a half-dozen
players milling in front and made a glove save on a slap shot by
Sean Brown with 7:29 to go.
"That team there, you've got to give them as much credit as
anyone," Burke said. "They were down a goal, but they kept coming
and coming. They throw a lot at you, so I don't know that we
consciously tried to hold onto a one-goal lead. They made it tough
to get anything going."
The cheers continued throughout the third, when Burke weathered
two more power plays.
Fittingly, he got the last save against Weight, who took a
15-foot shot that Burke stopped with his chest and then dropped to
cover with 1:03 remaining.
"Sean Burke was unbelievable," said Weight, the Oilers'
captain and leading scorer.
Game notes
Linesman Wayne Bonney officiated in his 1,500th game. ...
Tkachuk has 25 points in his last 23 games. ... Coyotes C Travis
Green, who hasn't had a goal in 23 games, was a healthy scratch in
coach Bob Francis' attempt to shake up his scorers. That opened the
way for LW Louie DeBrusk to dress for the second time in 11 games.
... Edmonton has scored only four times in its last 51 power plays.
... The Oilers remained tied with Phoenix for the fewest road wins
(nine) among Western Conference playoff contenders. ... Phoenix C
Daniel Briere, a first-round draft pick in 1996, played in his
100th game.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Edmonton Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
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Atlanta 5
Boston 1
Philadelphia 5
NY Islanders 2
NY Rangers 4
Florida 2
Minnesota 2
Dallas 1
Calgary 5
Colorado 3
Phoenix 2
Edmonton 0
Washington 4
Anaheim 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Keith Tkachuk puts the pass through his legs to Jeremy Roenick for the score.
avi: 523 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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