CHICAGO -- Goalie Mike Smith and the Phoenix Coyotes caught the Chicago Blackhawks on their first game back after a long road trip and came away with a convincing victory. Chris Spencer Jersey . The visiting Coyotes looked fresh. The glad-to-be-home Blackhawks were sluggish. "We got in their face early in the game and were able to get a couple of goals to help take the pressure off and silence the crowd," Smith said after stopping 24 shots in a 4-1 win Tuesday night. "And then we just kept it up the whole game." Ray Whitney had a goal and two assists for Phoenix, which improved to 7-3-1 on the road. Daymond Langkow, Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata also scored. Smith was working on his second straight shutout going until Patrick Sharp scored with 42.9 seconds left. He made a couple of nice saves in the final period but acknowledged, "I really wasnt tested that much." "I dont think they had their best game. I dont think they were jumping like they usually do," Smith said. The Blackhawks were playing their first home game since Nov. 13 after splitting a six-game western trip. They had won their previous two games against the Ducks and the Kings. "We were playing well there at the end of the California trip, and obviously didnt carry it over to home ice," Sharp said. Most teams say the first game back after a long road trip is usually difficult, but Sharp wasnt buying it. "An excuse, an easy way out," he said. "Weve got to be way more consistent and put a better effort on home ice than that." The Blackhawks are now 7-2-2 at the United Center, where they play 17 of their next 23 games. When Whitney scored Phoenixs second goal in the final period, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville pulled goalie Corey Crawford, who gave up four scores on 21 shots. "When were playing well as a group, we can get up the ice, we can pressure the puck, and we can take away time and space and be successful," Doan said. "But youre not going to do that too often to those guys, and the next team that plays them, it wont be very much fun Im sure." Langkow took a crossing pass from Whitney and his backhander hit Crawfords glove before trickling into the net late in the opening period. On a break, Doan got a dropoff pass from Mikkel Boedker and scored from the right circle midway through the second. Doans rising shot hit the post and went past Crawford. Less than two minutes into the final period, Vrbata scored from the right side of the net for his 11th goal in the last 14 games and No. 12 on the season. He took a shovel pass from Whitney, whod gained possession of the puck behind the net when the Blackhawks couldnt control it. "You try to play the same way every game and sometimes you have more luck than other times," Vrbata said. "Right now it seems like the puck is going in for me, so hopefully it will continue like that." About four minutes later, Martin Hanzal controlled the puck behind the net and passed to a wide-open Whitney for another score. "We were skating out there. We didnt accomplish anything. Wed get the puck out of our zone and theyd ram it back in," Chicago defenceman Duncan Keith said. Chicago came out strong with four shot attempts in the first three minutes, but had only four more over the next period and a half. NOTES: Chicago LW Daniel Carcillo returned to the lineup after he was a healthy scratch on the final day of the road trip Saturday in Los Angeles. Carcillo didnt have a point in the five games he played on the trip. ... Tuesday nights game was part of a six-game stretch in which Phoenix plays five on the road, including two at the United Center. The Coyotes are right back in Chicago on Monday night. Zach Brown .Y. -- Bills rookie quarterback EJ Manuel wont start in Buffalos season finale at New England because of a small tear in a left knee ligament that will not require surgery. Kendall Wright . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday.ORLANDO, Fla. -- San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is sitting out the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend with a strained right calf. The NBA made the announcement shortly before the start of Fridays game. Leonard joins Spurs teammate Tiago Splitter, also taken off the roster after sustaining the same injury. Splitter was replaced by Utah forward Derrick Favours. This year marks thee first time rookies and sophomores have been mixed together on teams. Delanie Walker. Historically, the game featured NBA rookies facing off against sophomores. Former NBA players Shaquille ONeal and Charles Barkley served as general managers and picked the teams. Maurice Cheeks and Mike Fratello are co-head coaches of Barkleys team. Ron Adams and Steve Kerr are leading ONeals squad. ' ' '
