Smith too good as Coyotes clinch series

CHICAGO — Mike Smith made 39 saves and the Phoenix Coyotes scored three times in the final period to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Monday night and capture their opening-round series in six games.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in the second and Gilbert Brule, Antoine Vermette and Kyle Chipchura had goals in the third as the Coyotes won a first-round series for the first time since moving to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season. It is the first series triumph for the franchise since 1987 when it was still the Winnipeg Jets.

The Coyotes won all three games at the United Center — Monday night’s game was the first in the series not to be decided in overtime — and now move on to play Nashville in the conference semifinals.