EDMONTON, Alberta — By continuing to get points of late, the Avalanche probably will lose a chance at the No. 1 NHL draft choice this summer — almost certain to be Ontario Hockey League star John Tavares.
That may disappoint some of their “Tank It for Tavares” fans, but count Avs veteran Ian Laperriere as one who hopes he doesn’t see Tavares in a Colorado sweater next season.
“You don’t make it into the NHL with a loser attitude,” Laperriere said after Colorado’s 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. “We’ve got pride, and we want to win as many games as possible and work for our jobs. When you’ve had a season like we’ve had, you know there will be change, and you don’t want to be part of that.”
John-Michael Liles won the game for the Avs 42 seconds into overtime, when he put home the rebound of a Marek Svatos shot, from the side of the net of Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson. It was the Avs’ third victory in the last four games, and moved them out of last place in the Western Conference.
Making the playoffs remains a pipe dream, but it’s not mathematically impossible.
“You never know. It could be a little miracle, but we just have to go game by game,” Laperriere said. “I stopped looking at the standings a little while ago, and just take it day by day.”
The Avs grabbed the lead at 4:20 of the third period when Paul Stastny scored his first goal since coming back from a broken forearm. It was a thing of a beauty, coming on the power play drawn when Edmonton’s Sheldon Souray was caught holding Svatos off the rush.
Stastny went around an Oilers defender along the boards, cut across the grain into the middle and beat goalie Roloson with a shot that ricocheted in off the far post.
The Avs got off to a horrible start, allowing numerous odd-man rushes and one goal — a puck kicked into his own net by Brett Clark. But a fight at the 6:34 mark between Avs rookie Chris Stewart and Edmonton’s Theo Peckham seemed to energize the team.
“We were flat and they were taking it to us, and Stewie saw an opportunity there to do something, to show that we’re not going to come in here and lay down,” Avs coach Tony Granato said.
Souray broke the Oilers out of a long funk with a pinpoint slapshot goal with 5:20 left in the third period. Peter Budaj, who made some big saves to keep the game from being a blowout early, was screened on the shot.
Liles, whose goal was his 10th of the season and third point of the night, upped the Avs to 3-0 in overtime this season.
“The puck came right to me,” Liles said. “(Budaj) made some key saves for us, keeping us in the game. Stewie did a great job of getting everybody going with that fight, and we really woke up after that and played a lot better.”
Said Granato: “We’ve found ways to win games lately that, a couple weeks ago, we found ways to lose because maybe we were trying to do too much. We withstood their blitz early and got our legs going and played pretty smart after that.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Avs Recap
The Post’s three stars
1. John-Michael Liles.
Scored the game-winner and added two assists.
2. Sheldon Souray.
Oilers defenseman scored a goal.
3. Chris Stewart.
Got an assist and had an energizing fight.
Up next
At Vancouver, 8 p.m. tonight.
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
Colorado at Vancouver
8 p.m. tonight, ALT, KCKK 1510 AM/KRCN 1060 AM
Spotlight on Mats Sundin: The Avs get their first look at the veteran Swede in a Canucks uniform. Sundin has played well of late, after a slow start following his signing with the Canucks.
Avalanche: Decision on starting goalie will be made today. Tonight’s game would be Andrew Raycroft’s first appearance against Vancouver this season. . . . The Avs are 2-0 against the Canucks this season. After tonight, Colorado will play Vancouver three more times. . . . Defenseman Adam Foote (head) will not play. The Avs say there is a chance he could play Tuesday.
Canucks: Vancouver has points in six of its last seven games, and has won eight consecutive games at General Motors Place. . . . The Canucks are coming off a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles on Friday. . . . Roberto Luongo will get the start in goal. . . . The Canucks have sold out 250 consecutive home games, dating to Nov. 14, 2002.
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
