GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Defenseman Nicklas Grossmann had the first two-goal game of his NHL career, and Martin Hanzal, Mikkel Boedker and Connor Murphy each had two assists in the Arizona Coyotes' 4-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
Grossmann entered the night with 10 goals in his nine-year, 542-game NHL career; he had never scored two goals in the same calendar month, let alone a game. His career single-season high for goals is five, set last season with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Coyotes goalie Mike Smith made 26 saves, including big ones on Francois Beauchemin and Alex Tanguay in the final minute to protect a one-goal lead before Jordan Martinook hit the empty net with 15 seconds remaining.
Arizona (6-5-1) snapped a three-game losing streak at Gila River Arena.
Cody McLeod and Matt Duchene scored for Colorado. Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for the Avalanche (4-8-1), who began a stretch during which they will play 12 of 15 games on the road.
Hanzal, who returned after missing two games with a lower-body injury, is tied for the NHL lead with 12 assists. He's never had more than 27 assists in a season, a feat he accomplished as a rookie in 2007-08.
After allowing three first-period goals in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in their last home game, the Coyotes were much more responsible with the puck in the opening period against the Avalanche. They limited Colorado to seven shots on goal and grabbed the lead when Grossmann kicked off his big night.
After putting a shot toward the net from the right point, Grossmann got a second chance off a Rieder takeaway and wristed another shot from the same spot. Rookie Tyler Gaudet set a nice screen between two Colorado defenders and the puck skipped past Varlamov at 7:05. It was Grossmann's first goal of the season.
The Coyotes made it 2-0 at 2:41 of the second period, capitalizing on another Avalanche turnover. Hanzal took the puck away from Colorado's Nikita Zadorov and pushed it toward Rieder outside the right circle. Rieder hesitated before surprising Varlamov with a snap shot that went past his glove. Rieder's fifth goal of the season tied him with rookies Max Domi and Anthony Duclair for the team lead.
Colorado responded 1:07 later. Erik Johnson spilt Arizona defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Michael Stone and took a shot that Smith stopped. But the rebound came out to the high slot, where McLeod was waiting to pop in his second goal and make it a 2-1 game.
However, the Coyotes answered 1:28 later when Grossmann scored again.
Hanzal found Grossmann at the high point for a shot that Varlamov stopped and tried to flick away. But the puck ricocheted off Avalanche defenseman Ben Street, who came crashing into the crease with Coyotes forward Steve Downie. The puck slid across the goal line, and Grossmann was credited with the goal at 5:16.
Varlamov kept the game close with big saves on breakaways by Rieder and Boedker in the third period, and Duchene cut the lead to 3-2 when he slipped around Hanzal and beat Smith by roofing a short-side wrist shot with 3:46 left in regulation.
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