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Smyth, Theodore come up big as Avalanche rally for shootout win

Oct 17, 2007 - 4:54 AM DENVER (Ticker) -- Ryan Smyth scored the decisive goal and Jose Theodore made a key stick save as the Colorado Avalanche overcame a four-goal deficit and rallied for a 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

After Wojtek Wolski scored in the first round of the bonus format on a spectacular deke, Theodore stopped defenseman Dion Phaneuf's attempt.

Smyth, who scored two goals in regulation and set a franchise record for shots on goal with 12, then faked right and sent a backhand between goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff's pads.

"I knew I was going to go backhand five-hole," Smyth said. "That's what I had in the back of my mind."

Jarome Iginla, who also scored twice, kept the Flames alive as he beat Theodore with a wrist shot.

However, after Joe Sakic's shot sailed over the crossbar in his attempt to win it, Theodore knocked away Alex Tanguay's shot with his stick to seal the win.

Trailing 4-0, the Avalanche scored four goals in the second period, tying the game at 4-4 with 3:35 left as Wolski gathered the puck in the left corner and found defenseman Kurt Sauer just above the right faceoff circle for a one-timer that beat Kiprusoff top shelf.

Smyth helped the Avalanche rally from their deficit with goals at 3:03 and 10:12.

"Most importantly for us is to play 60 minutes, and we didn't do that from the beginning and we got behind," Smyth said. "A win is a win, and we'll take them any which way we can get them."

Colorado then pulled within 4-3 on a power play, as Andrew Brunette sent a pass intended for Smyth into the crease. The puck deflected off the left skate of Phaneuf and past Kiprusoff with 7:16 remaining.

"I think there is a reason why their bounces were happening," Kiprusoff said. "We didn't play that strong, and if you don't match their game, those bounces will happen. You should not give up a four-goal lead in the NHL."

"In the second, we were up 4-0, and there's no excuse on our part," Iginla said. "In the first period, I think we played harder, and in the second period, they totally outcompeted us. We took our foot off the pedal and we eased up, which is unacceptable when you have a 4-0 lead."

After building a 3-0 lead in the opening period, Iginla blasted a wrist shot from the right circle past netminder Peter Budaj into the upper left corner of the net at 2:50 of the second.

That was the breaking point for Colorado, which pulled Budaj in favor of Theodore.

"It's always tough (coming in down 4-0), but if you look at the goals they scored, they were great goals," Theodore said. "They were all over us in the first period. But then after that, we got a couple of lucky bounces and the guys just battled back. It just shows you how much character the guys in front of me have."

Iginla also scored with a 63 seconds left in the first, as he gathered a loose puck and deked to the right before sliding it past Budaj.

Phaneuf and Marcus Nilson also tallied and Kiprusoff stopped 31 shots for the Flames, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

Theodore stopped 17 shots in place of Budaj for Colorado, which has won two straight.