Glendale, Ariz. – There was a retro feel to Wednesday’s game between the Avalanche and the Phoenix Coyotes, a hearkening to the slower, choppier, low-scoring NHL style of play. In other words, the night’s action shouldn’t be put on a DVD and rushed into stores.
But the Avs, losers of two games in a row coming in, didn’t mind winning ugly, 3-1 over the Coyotes at Glendale Arena in front of a quiet crowd.
Two goals by Marek Svatos and one by Rob Blake were enough for Avalanche rookie goalie Peter Budaj, who stopped 21 Phoenix shots.
“We played the game that was out there,” Avs coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was a little tight through the middle of the ice, but we did have some success when we did get the puck in deep.”
The Avs trailed 1-0 entering the second period after Mike Johnson’s first-period, power-play goal, with 38-year-old Phoenix goalie Curtis Joseph looking a few years younger with some nice saves.
But starting around the 1-minute, 50-second mark of the second period, the Avs slowly began to dominate. At 1:56, Svatos tied it, following up the rebound of a Pierre Turgeon shot off a rush that hit the post.
“That goal really lifted us,” said Turgeon, who finished with three assists. “We still hadn’t scored, and Joseph is a good goalie. It was a good game for (Svatos). We played hard tonight as a team.”
Colorado made it 2-1 on another Svatos goal, this time at 1:56. Svatos crashed the net after a Turgeon pass deflected off Phoenix defenseman Keith Ballard, a former Avs prospect, and fired a hard shot into the net.
Svatos narrowly missed getting his second hat trick of the season when he missed an empty net at the end.
“The puck is going in right now,” said Svatos, who has a team-leading nine goals. “(Turgeon) made some good plays before my goals. I didn’t have to do much on the first one.”
The Coyotes looked undisciplined in the later stages of the third period, and it cost them. The Avs made it 3-1 at 12:06 when Blake blasted a slap shot past Joseph, with Colorado on a 5-on-3 advantage. It was Blake’s 600th NHL point. The Coyotes put themselves down two men not long after, when Ladislav Nagy took an unsportsmanlike penalty. Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky was hopping mad at the call, to no avail.
The Avs allowed a power-play goal, but Quenneville was happy with the penalty killing (4-for-5). He was happy with Budaj’s play, as well.
“He settled down as the game went on and made a couple of key saves late. It was nice to see him get a win,” Quenneville said. “The Turgeon line had a nice game, and (Svatos) had another couple big goals tonight. That was a great shot on the second goal.”
Budaj, whose victory was his second of the year after a couple of shootout losses, wasn’t tested much in the final two periods. But the Coyotes did apply some pressure in the last couple of minutes, with Joseph pulled for the extra skater.
“The guys played very well in front of me,” Budaj said. “Joseph was making some good saves for them, but we kept battling. It’s a good start to the road trip. We want to try to win them all.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
