Glendale, Ariz. – Squeaking into the playoff field as the eighth seed and perhaps losing in the first round arguably wouldn’t be as significant for the Avalanche as what the largely youth-sparked rally down the stretch of the regular season could portend for 2007-08.
Plus, this is impressive any way you cut or slash it: After Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny each scored twice in Colorado’s 6-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday in the Jobing.com Arena, the Avalanche still hadn’t lost in regulation in March.
The Avs, who broke a 3-3 tie with the Coyotes when unheralded fourth-liner Ben Guite blocked a shot, controlled the puck and went the other way to beat Phoenix goalie Curtis Joseph on a breakaway at 3:37 of the third period, have seven victories and an overtime loss in their last eight games.
On a night when Stastny extended his league-record rookie scoring streak to 20 games, the Avs also closed to within six points of the Western Conference’s No. 8 team, the Calgary Flames, who lost 4-2 at home Saturday night to the Minnesota Wild.
“It was a very effective couple of days for us,” Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. “Now the number’s more realistic. That’s still our goal and we still have to play well and worry about what we can control.”
Guite’s goal was the game-turner, and he shook off the sting of a shot hitting him in the ankle to head off on the breakaway. “When you get stung, it usually dulls out,” he said. “I just went in and I shot it high.” He said having his second NHL career goal be a game-winner in a stretch run “feels pretty good. Every game right now is huge, so it was great to win this one.”
Additionally, Colorado could get within four points of the suddenly struggling Flames with a victory over the San Jose Sharks tonight in the Pepsi Center.
The Flames have lost three straight and are 1-4-1 in their last six, so after a couple of weeks of winning and not gaining any ground in the playoff race, the Avs finally know which team they have the best chance of catching. They also have two head-to-head games remaining against Calgary and could gain four points on the Flames by winning both in regulation.
Early in the second period, Shane Doan’s power-play goal tied it 2-2, and then the Avs gave up a goal when Kurt Sauer couldn’t find the puck in front, and it dribbled off his skate to Phoenix winger Daniel Carcillo, behind the goal line to Budaj’s left. Carcillo tried to bank it off Budaj, and when the puck went in the air and down, the onrushing Jeremy Roenick ended up getting credit for the goal.
Sakic converted a pass from Brunette only 25 seconds later to tie it again. Guite’s second career goal broke the tie, and Brad Richardson and Stastny added late goals, meaning the Avs had responded with four unanswered goals after blowing the early two-goal lead.
Staff writer Terry Frei can be reached at 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
