Glendale, AZ – In just his seventh NHL contest, Chad Johnson saved 21 shots to notch his first career shutout in his Coyotes debut, as Phoenix pounded the Nashville Predators, 4-0, on Monday at Jobing.com Arena.
Johnson was recalled from the Portland Pirates of the AHL last week after starting goaltender Mike Smith sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of Wednesday's win against the Blue Jackets.
"It just kind of shows that I can play at this level," Johnson remarked. "I have to continue to do that. It's one game."
The 26-year-old Johnson's only other victory came on Jan. 31, 2010 against the Colorado Avalanche as a member of the New York Rangers.
Keith Yandle registered a goal and two assists, while Lauri Korpikoski, Nick Johnson and Antoine Vermette each scored once for the Coyotes, who snapped a two-game skid.
"We got beat all over the ice," Nashville captain Shea Weber admitted. "We just have to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves if we're giving everything we can."
Pekka Rinne was charged for all four goals on 25 shots in the setback, Nashville's third in a row.
Vermette opened the scoring just three minutes in when he ripped a wrister from just inside the right circle that whizzed past Rinne for a 1-0 edge.
Korpikoski then doubled the Phoenix advantage late in the second, as the Predators failed to clear a rebound from in front of their net before Korpikoski recovered the puck and rifled a short shot into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead at the 16:48 mark.
The Coyotes increased their cushion with a pair of third-period goals to put the game out of reach.
Johnson's one-timer at the 11:34 mark made it a 3-0 game before Yandle ripped a one-time blast from the high slot that deflected off the stick of a Nashville defenseman and sailed past Rinne for a 4-0 advantage with just under five minutes remaining.
Chad Johnson kept his shutout intact by turning away all 12 shots he faced in the final stanza.
Game Notes
Phoenix finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while Nashville failed on its two chances on the man advantage ... Derek Morris recorded an assist for the Coyotes to notch his 400th career point ... Smith is considered day-to-day with his lower body injury ... Nashville and Phoenix split four games last season.
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