PHOENIX, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Tony Amonte had his first two-goal game since October Tuesday night to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Amonte, considered a disappointment after signing a four-year, $24 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, had not scored in 10 games since New Year's Day. His only other two-goal game for Phoenix came on Oct. 24 in a 3-2 loss to Colorado.
Brad May, Ladislav Nagy and Mike Johnson also scored for Phoenix, which earned its third straight victory following a four-game losing streak.
Amonte scored on a power play with 5:11 left in the first period to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead. Standing in front of the net, he deflected defenseman Teppo Numminen's slap shot past Marc Denis, who allowed all five goals on 35 shots.
Amonte struck again just under four minutes later, putting his own rebound past Denis. He has nine goals in 14 career games against the Blue Jackets.
Columbus got power-play goals from David Vyborny and Mike Sillinger but could not mount a sustained attack. The Blue Jackets managed just 16 shots in the opener of a five-game road trip.
