ST. LOUIS - Yanic Perreault's goal with 1:41 remaining in the second period Saturday gave Phoenix a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, who had won their last two games.
The Blues had a 5-on-3 advantage for 1 minute, 8 seconds with 12:29 remaining in regulation and managed only a fanned shot attempt by Petr Cajanek and a long shot by Christian Backman that was handled by Coyotes goalie Curtis Joseph.
After trying to get goalie Curtis Sanford off the ice for an extra attacker with a minute left, the Blues were hit with a bench minor for too many men on the ice.
The announced crowd of 13,440 was the Blues' highest since the Oct.
12 season opener against Boston (17,213).
The Blues won three in a row only once last season, doing it in early February.
Veteran Owen Nolan gave Phoenix a 1-0 lead at 11:35 of the first period, beating Blues defenseman Jeff Woywitka to a bouncing rebound in front.
The puck had deflected off of Phoenix winger Josh Gratton.
A few minutes later, Nolan and Blues defenseman Barret Jackman traded punches in a fight that seemed to spark St. Louis.
Blues forward Dan Hinote collected the tying goal with 4:46 remaining in the first period while he and Ryan Johnson were banging away at a loose puck in front.
Despite several high-quality scoring chances in the second period, the Blues came up empty thanks to Joseph.
Radek Dvorak fanned on a good chance in front midway through the second period, but Joseph robbed Keith Tkachuk twice before the period ended.
The 39-year-old Joseph began the night with a 17-9-2 record against the Blues, who signed him in 1989 out of the University of Wisconsin.
Phoenix took a 2-1 lead with 1:41 remaining in the second period on a goal by Yanic Perreault.
Sanford kicked out a hard shot by defenseman Ed Jovanovski, but the rebound came directly in front and Perreault beat Sanford high to the glove side.
It was Perreault's seventh goal in 11 games since signing with the Coyotes on Nov. 3.
Phoenix was coming off a 4-0 loss at Minnesota on Friday in a game coach Wayne Gretzky described as "horrendous" and "our most discouraging loss of the year.
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The Coyotes had lost three of their last four before Saturday.
Blues center Doug Weight was honored in a pregame ceremony for playing in his 1,000th NHL game against Edmonton. Weight is the 210th player to reach that milestone out of more than 6,000 players in league history.
He received a Tiffany crystal memento from the NHL, an engraved silver stick from the Blues and a watch from his teammates.
Blues goalie Manny Legace wasn't wanted by Detroit in the offseason, so he gave the Red Wings something to remember him by Friday in the Blues' 3-2 shootout victory.
Legace had 41 saves and kept the Blues in the game throughout a frenetic third period.
Legace hasn't totally cut his Detroit ties. During the World Series, he watched from the suite of Tigers and Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch at Detroit's Comerica Park.
"They're such a talented hockey club and you knew they were going to keep coming in waves," Legace told reporters after the win over the Red Wings.
"I don't think the puck left our end in the third period. This is probably one of the better defensive games we've played against a top team."
Legace signed a one-year, $1.
4 million deal with the Blues after playing six seasons with Detroit.
A limited number of tickets remain for Brett Hull's jersey retirement night Dec. 5 against Detroit.
Goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu is back in Peoria again and turned in a strong performance Friday in a 2-1 win against Omaha.
"I've been saying I can play all year and I believe it," Beckford-Tseu told the Peoria Journal Star. "I'm seeing everything better now, everything is slowing down for me.
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Defenseman Erik Johnson --the Blues' first overall pick in the 2006 draft -is playing for the No. 1-ranked college team in the country, the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Johnson has two goals and 11 points in his first 14 collegiate games.
He has hinted about turning pro after one college season and could find himself at the NCAA Frozen Four tournament in St. Louis next spring if the Gophers (11-0-2) continue reeling off wins.
Johnson is one of three first-round picks on the Gophers; the others are Kyle Okposo and David Fischer.
Two of the Blues' Swedish prospects are also off to strong starts.
Playing for second-tier Vasteras in the Swedish Elite League, center Patrik Berglund has 12 goals and 27 points in his first 17 games. The 6-4 center was the Blues' second first-round pick last summer, taken 25th overall.
Center Carl Soderberg, who spurned the Blues' offer to turn pro in training camp, has six goals and 13 points in 12 games with Malmo, a top-tier Swedish Elite League team.
Contact reporter Norm Sanders at or 239-2454.
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