Mueller nets 1st goal, Hanzal has 2 points in Coyotes’ win over Blackhawks

Mueller’s 1st goal of season lift Coyotes to win

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Peter Mueller scored his first goal of the season and Martin Hanzal added a goal and an assist as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 Thursday night.

Scottie Upshall also scored, and Ilya Bryzgalov made 31 saves for the Coyotes, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Kris Versteeg had a short-handed goal for the Blackhawks, who have lost two of three.

Hanzal needed just 2:34 to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead, sending a sharp wrist shot from the middle of the left circle between Cristobal Huet’s pads.

Mueller made it 2-0 at 11:55 on a rebound after Hanzal tried to redirect a pass from Shane Doan from the half-boards.

Upshall extended the lead to 3-0 at 10:38 of the second period with a wrist shot from the left circle just inside the right post.

Versteeg brought the Blackhawks within 3-1 at 13:56 of the second period, taking a back pass from Patrick Kane and beating Bryzgalov with a wrister from the left circle. Despite being short-handed, Chicago spent most of the first 90 seconds of the power play cycling in the Coyotes’ zone before scoring.

Colin Fraser appeared to cut the deficit to one with 9:20 remaining, but the apparent goal was overturned by video review which showed that Fraser kicked in the puck.

NOTES: The announced crowd of 10,362 was the third-highest of the season. Kane and Patrick Sharp missed on consecutive breakaway attempts early in the second period. Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews (concussion) skated before the game, but missed his fifth straight contest. Toews was injured on Oct. 21 and might return to the lineup on Friday. Phoenix was without Zbynek Michaelk, who sustained a lower-body injury in the Coyotes’ 4-1 loss to Colorado on Wednesday. Kane has six points in six games.