{coyotes} Avalanche rally from three-goal deficit to top Coyotes

Tuesday 25 November 2014

{coyotes} Avalanche rally from three-goal deficit to top Coyotes

While You Were Sleeping / The Muppet Christmas Carol

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Colorado Avalanche are getting pretty good at this comeback thing.

For the second time in as many games, Colorado rebounded from a rough first period to win, this time when Daniel Briere scored 3:16 into overtime for a 4-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday at Gila River Arena.

Colorado trailed 3-0 at 10:53 of the first period after Arizona rookie forward Tobias Rieder beat goalie Reto Berra with a knuckling slap shot. But backup goalie Calvin Pickard stopped all 25 Coyotes shots he faced after relieving Berra, and the Avalanche used two goals from Gabriel Landeskog and one from Matt Duchene 4:05 into the third period to force overtime.

Then Arizona center Martin Hanzal deflected Briere's pass across the slot for Zach Redmond past goalie Mike Smith for the game-winner.

The Avalanche (8-9-5) have won four of their past five games.

"We had the bounces go against us in the first period, but we got a couple of lucky ones in the third period and that one in overtime," said Briere, who played his first six seasons with Arizona. "We got rewarded for working hard."

It was almost a replay of Colorado's win Saturday, when Berra was pulled in the first period after allowing three goals to the Carolina Hurricanes on 10 shots, and Pickard came in and stopped the bleeding to allow the Avalanche to rally for a 4-3 win.

"Pickard did a really good job against Carolina the other night, and tonight, he was again perfect," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. "You have to give it to him. He battles out there and competes and deserves a lot of credit for his play right now."

It was yet another hard-luck loss for Smith, who made 30 saves but saw his record drop to 4-11-2. The Coyotes still haven't won a game in seven tries against Central Division teams (0-5-2).

This loss had to hurt the most.

"It doesn't feel good leaving points out there," said Arizona defenseman Michael Stone, who had a goal and an assist in the first period. "We had a good handle on the game and we let it get away. Even after not playing as well in the second, we had a two-goal lead, but we played too much in our zone and gave up too many chances around the net."

Rieder and Antoine Vermette also scored in the first period, when the Coyotes beat Berra three times on eight shots for their first three-goal first period of the season. But Arizona couldn't hold the lead and has lost four straight at home (0-2-2), allowing the game-winning goal in each with three minutes or less remaining in regulation or in overtime.

"We had some breaks to get the lead, and they got some breaks to get back in the game," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "The last two goals are off our sticks and in. What are you going to do?"

Landeskog got the rally started for Colorado, scoring for the first time in 12 games. He scored again early in the third period to kick the comeback into gear.

"It's been a long time coming. I've been really dry lately," Landeskog said. "I've been a little frustrated and I think our line has been as well. It feels good to put a couple in the back of the net and get this thing going."

The Coyotes (9-11-3) scored 3:36 into the first period when Vermette won a spot in the Colorado crease and deflected Stone's shot from inside the point down and past Berra. Vermette's sixth goal put him one behind Coyotes leaders Mikkel Boedker and Shane Doan.

Stone, who had one point in the previous 11 games, scored from long distance at 10:20. Colorado defenseman Nick Holden tried to glove Stone's shot out of the air, but the puck instead deflected off his glove and past a helpless Berra.

It took 33 seconds for Arizona to strike again. Rieder raced into the Colorado zone with a turnover and put a fluttering puck by Berra, who was pulled immediately after the goal.

But that was it for Arizona. Pickard shut down the Coyotes the rest of the way, and the Avalanche kept coming.

Arizona had one shot in the first 13 minutes of the second period, during which the Avalanche got on the board with Landeskog's first of the game.

Smith stopped Erik Johnson's shot in the slot, but Landeskog settled the rebound at his feet, moved the puck to the backhand and roofed a shot past Smith and under the crossbar at 5:49.

"I knew if we got one, then you can chip away, and if you get a second, all of a sudden they tighten up, and that's what happened," Landeskog said.

Smith made a huge save late in the second when a Keith Yandle turnover sent Colorado's Marc-Andre Cliché in alone shorthanded, making a pad stop on the Avalanche forward to preserve the Coyotes' two-goal cushion.

But that lead didn't survive the third period.

Colorado cut the lead in half at 1:36. From behind the net, Jarome Iginla set up Nathan MacKinnon for a shot from the left circle. Smith stopped it, but Landeskog pounced on the rebound and put it between Smith's pads for his second goal of the game, sixth of the season.

"It hit me in the foot and all of a sudden it was on my stick," Landeskog said. "A little bit lucky, but sometimes you need that. Our line has been feeling the heat a little bit, as we should. We get a lot of ice time and we have to take care of business when we are out there."

Colorado got a fortunate bounce that allowed it to tie the game 2:29 after Landeskog's goal. Arizona's Lauri Korpikoski deflected Duchene's attempted centering pass from behind the net, but the puck fluttered up in the air and over Smith's glove at 4:05, and the Avalanche had come all the way back.

A Christmas Carol / Little Women (1994) / Wrapped In Red - Kelly Clarkson