It’s All Business for Selanne

PHOENIX —  The way Teemu Selanne went after Phoenix Coyote defenseman Teppo Numminen late in the second period, you might have thought he hated his fellow Finn. You would be wrong.

They were roommates on the road when they played for the Winnipeg Jets and they remain close friends.

But it didn’t stop Selanne from clobbering his buddy late in a 1-1 tie, drawing a boarding penalty for his high hit on Numminen. In a roundabout way, the penalty paid off for Selanne and the Ducks.

After all, Selanne wouldn’t have been able to roar out of the penalty box, accept a breakout pass from defenseman Jason Marshall and beat Phoenix goalie Sean Burke to cap a breakaway 1:19 into the third period.

The goal was the first of three in the third period for Selanne, his first hat trick this season and the 17th of his career.

“First of all, there were so many hits that they didn’t call penalties on,” Selanne said when asked about his hit on his former teammate. “I didn’t think that was a penalty. I got [mad]. It worked out.”

Asked about facing Numminen, Selanne said, “It’s frustrating to play against him. I don’t know how he gets to all those loose pucks. I call him octopus. He’s so hard to beat one-on-one.”

Numminen and Burke are the Coyotes’ representatives for Sunday’s All-Star game in Denver.

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Coach Guy Charron broke up the Selanne-Paul Kariya tandem for the second consecutive game. Unlike Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators in Anaheim, the move worked against the Coyotes.

In addition to Selanne’s three goals, Kariya picked up his first point (an assist) since returning to the lineup after a 16-game absence because of a broken right foot.