GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes have won three in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 months, and theyve done it just in time for the stretch run to the playoffs. Radim Vrbata and Antoine Vermette scored first-period goals and the Phoenix Coyotes held on for a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. Coyotes goalie Mike Smith had a shutout until Chris Gomez scored with 4:08 to play. Smith had 22 saves. The game was no thing of beauty. "They all cant all be masterpieces," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "We got up two goals and we won. Well leave it at that." The victory, coupled with Dallas loss to Philadelphia, put the Coyotes four points ahead of the Stars for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Phoenix has won five of six and seven of nine. "Maybe desperation," Vrbata said when asked what was driving the recent success. "We know where we are in the standings and that we need every point we can get. We lost too many games before, games we should have won. " Smiths play has been central to the recent wins and he was strong again Thursday. "Before they got that goal, he was outstanding," Tippett said, "and then he got some after that." There werent many shots, Tippett said, but several were difficult saves. Robert Luongo had 20 saves for the Panthers. The Coyotes scored their first goal on a power play after Floridas Jimmy Hayes was sent to the penalty box for holding. Oliver Ekman-Larssons shot from directly in front of the net glanced off Martin Hanzals skate and was knocked into the net by Vrbata for his 20th goal of the season. Phoenix killed two penalties the rest of the period, then made it 2-0 when Vermette hit the puck into a virtually empty net off a deflected shot by Mike Stone. Stones shot bounced off Luongos midsection and right to Vermette. Luongo complained that the goal should have been disallowed because Mikkel Boedker had knocked the goalie to the ice, creating an opening for the goal, but the score stood and it was 2-0 after two. "I think they missed it," Florida coach Peter Horachek said. ".. It should have been an interference call. A lot of those things are going to happen and youre going to have to deal with them, everybody else does, but when you look back at it, it makes it 1-1." Luongo said hed have to look at the tape, but added "its tough to do my job when I end up in the corner." Tippett said Boedker was shoved in to the goalie. "Theyre guy pushed," Tippett said. "I thought it was the right call. Boedker wouldnt have been in there if he hadnt got pushed." "If he hadnt been shoved, he wouldnt have been in there," Tippett said. It was Vermettes team-leading 22nd goal. Hanzal and Ekman-Larsson got assists on Vrbatas goal, Stone and Boedker on the second. Gomezs goal, his first in 36 games, came on a wrist shot that fluttered past Smith. The three-game winning streak is Phoenixs longest since it won five in a row from Oct. 26 to Nov. 5. NOTES: Florida ranks last in the NHL in power-play goals and last in penalty kills. ... Entering the night, Smith had a 1.92 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in his previous 14 games. ... Phoenix swept the season series 2-0, winning at Florida 3-1 on March 11. ... Phoenix is home against Boston Saturday night. ... The Panthers were on the second stop of a four-game road trip. They are at Los Angeles on Saturday. Balenciaga Sneakers Discount . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Balenciaga Sneakers Sale Uk . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. http://www.balenciagaoutletuk.com/. They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Balenciaga Sneakers Wholesale . The American secured his first back-to-back ATP match wins since June to leave Tsonga relying on his performance at next weeks Paris Masters to clinch one of the final three places for the season-ending event in London. Tsonga would have moved up one spot to No. 6 with a win over Querrey at the City of Arts and Sciences, but his serve deserted him in the second set as the 116th-ranked American broke twice to reach the quarter-finals. Balenciaga Outlet Online Uk . Join World Soccer Pickem 2014 for your chance to win $5,500 in cash prizes by picking the winner of each game all the way through to the tournament final. Will you ride a favourite such as Spain or Germany, or cast your lot with an underdog like Ivory Coast or Mexico? Perhaps key victories from Netherlands or the United States will be your key to victory.MANCHESTER, England - Rampant Manchester City passed the 100-goal mark in all competitions this season by overwhelming Cardiff 4-2 on Saturday to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the English Premier League. Edin Dzeko brought up the century after just 34 matches with a scruffy opening goal in the 14th minute. Its validity was confirmed on the giant screens by the Goal Decision System, capping an early period of sustained dominance by the hosts. Craig Noone equalized for Cardiff in the 29th but Jesus Navas quickly restored Citys lead, and second-half goals by Yaya Toure and substitute Sergio Aguero kept up the teams 100 per cent home record in the league. Fraizer Campbell scored an injury-time consolation for the visiting Welsh side, which finds itself at the bottom of the table and ensures a miserable return to Manchester for Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The former Norway spent 11 years at Citys fierce rival, Manchester United, before retiring in 2007. The previous quickest team to reach the 100-goal milestone in a season was Chelsea, which took 42 games last season. That record has been obliterated by City with just five months of the campaign gone. If Citys finishing had been at the level Solskjaer regularly demonstrated in his pomp at Old Trafford, Cardiff could easily have lost by a nine- or 10-goal margin. As it was, the hosts had only a narrow half time lead to show for their dominancee.dddddddddddd Dzeko, under pressure for his starting place with the return to fitness of Aguero after a month out with a calf injury, set City on its way after 14 minutes by turning in a short cut-back from David Silva. The ball only crept over the line but referee Neil Swarbrick pointed to his watch to indicate the goal was valid, and replays on the big screens were cheered by home fans. That pushed City onto 100 goals and Alvaro Negredo wasted two great chances before Noone ran onto Jordon Mutchs pass, shimmied past Vincent Kompany and beat Joe Hart at his near post in the 29th. Cardiffs players barely had time to celebrate before they were behind again. As Dzeko prepared to shoot from the edge of the box, Steven Caulker slid in with the tackle but the ball fell to the inrushing Navas, who sidefooted into the corner. The visitors made it to the hour mark unscathed, but they were given no respite as Aguero was thrown on by Pellegrini to help secure the three points. He did just that, setting up Toure for the midfielder to drive a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner in the 76th minute. Aguero then scored himself three minutes later by twisting and turning his marker to smash a powerful strike past goalkeeper David Marshall. Campbell swept in a finish from close range in injury time but Cardiff was well beaten and will spend at least the next week-and-a-half at the foot of the table. ' ' '