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Guite's huge goal moves Avalanche closer to the playoffs

Mar 18, 2007 - 6:27 AM GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Ben Guite has only scored twice this season, but his second goal is the biggest of the season so far for the Colorado Avalanche.

Guite scored the eventual winning goal early in the third period as the Avalanche posted a critical 6-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Rookie Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic scored twice for the Avalanche (36-29-6), who moved within six points of the Calgary Flames (37-25-10) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Flames lost, 4-2, to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

"We know how important all these points are for us right now," Sakic said. "Minnesota did us a huge favor tonight and now tomorrow is the next biggest game."

"It has been a very effective couple of days for us," Colorado coach Joel Quenneville said. "Now the numbers are more realistic. We still have to play well and worry about what we can control."

The Avalanche play the Sharks (44-25-3) in San Jose on Sunday.

Guite scored when he picked up a loose puck at center ice, streaked down the left side and blasted a shot from the faceoff circle over goaltender Curtis Joseph's glove for a 4-3 lead at 3:37 of the third period.

"I went in, saw the puck and skated as fast as I could," Guite said. "I saw someone else with me but the defense was overplaying it, and I tried to drag it a little bit to get him (Joseph) moving. Then I shot it in high and it went in."

Earlier, Sakic's second goal tied the game, 3-3 when he took Andrew Brunette's pass at the bottom of the left faceoff circle and shoveled the puck through Joseph's pads at 14:22 of the third period.

"Andrew made a great play to get the pass away quick, and fortunately for me it went through the five-hole, Sakic said.

"We took the lead at 3-2 but Sakic made a great play and got it right back for them," Phoenix right wing Shane Doan said.

Stastny extended his rookie record points steak to 20 games, in which he has 11 goals and 18 assists.

"Over the course of the year he has gotten really good," Sakic said. "You can see he is such a smart hockey player and he is getting a lot more comfortable. He is going to have a tremendous career."

Brad Richardson and Stastny scored insurance goals 25 seconds apart in the final minutes to account for the final margin.

"At that point we had three or four pretty good chances, but they got that fifth goal and that broke our backs," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said.

"With a tie game in the third you fully expect to win at home," Doan said. "They made some nice shots and buried their opportunities."

Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj turned away 31 shots.