Overcoming adversity has been a central theme this season for the Phoenix Coyotes.

They did it again Sunday in Game 3 with a big win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Overcoming the loss of captain Shane Doan and forward Vernon Fiddler, Petr Prucha and Radim Vrbata scored midway through the third period to lift the Coyotes to a 4-2 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

The Coyotes have overcome a series of off-the-ice setbacks, starting with their previous owner taking the franchise into bankruptcy last year leading to the NHL buying the team in November. Wayne Gretzky resigned as coach nine days before the opener and was replaced by Dave Tippett on the bench.

“If you look back from the start of the year, it was part of our identity that you can overcome anything,” Tippett said.

Ilya Bryzgalov made 29 saves for Phoenix; whose confidence is building by the day against a team that was picked by some as a Stanley Cup contender a week ago.

Detroit will host Game 4 on Tuesday night, needing a win to avoid being on the brink of elimination.

In other NHL playoff action:

• Daniel Carcillo scored 3:35 into overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night and a 2-1 advantage in their 1st round series.
• Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist while Evgeni Malkin scored his third playoff goal as the Penguins beat the Senators 4-2 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in their 1st round series. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves as Alexei Ponikarovsky and Bill Guerin also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who won their second in a row following a 5-4 loss to the Senators in the series opener.
• Rookie goalie Antti Niemi bounced back from a rough outing in Game 1; making 23 saves in his second career playoff game to help the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators 2-0 on Sunday night to even up their 1st round series.
• Craig Anderson made 51 saves for the Colorado Avalanche; who won 1-0 in OT with the help of Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle’s own goal as he made an errant pass that slipped through teammate’s Evgeni Nabokov’s net. The Avs are now up 2-1 over the Sharks in the series. Get your favorite team hats here!

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