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Vrbata, Coyotes outlast Avalanche

Jan 1, 2008 - 5:07 AM By Jonathan Dalton PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) - Radim Vrbata put an end to the Phoenix Coyotes' three-game losing streak.

Vrbata had two goals and an assist and scored the decisive tally in the shootout to lift the Coyotes to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.

"For a while it felt the puck wasn't bouncing my way," said Vrbata, who has three goals in his last two games. "It seemed like tonight it was finding my stick. As a player, you try not to change anything and just play your game."

Vrbata has three goals on four shootout attempts this season.

"It's 50-50," Vrbata said. "I always try to wait for the goalie to move first and then I decide what to do."

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov made 42 saves and turned away both attempts in the bonus format to stop a personal two-game slide for Phoenix.

"You just try to stop the puck, every shot, every game to give your team a chance to win the game," Bryzgalov said.

Rookie Peter Mueller also scored in the shootout for the Coyotes, who turned to their white road jerseys to salvage the finale of a four-game homestand.

Steven Reinprecht scored in regulation for Phoenix, which is a league-worst 6-10-1 at home.

"Tonight gives us some confidence to play in our home rink," Bryzgalov said.

Colorado, which had managed just three goals in its previous two contests, forced overtime on rookie Cody McLeod's second goal of the season with 4:49 left in regulation.

The goal was set up by a spectacular play from Ben Guite, who while on his knees behind the net, fed a pass to McLeod, who made no mistake in beating Bryzgalov from directly in front.

The Avalanche had the best scoring chance in overtime, but defenseman John-Michael Liles' snap shot was kicked out by Bryzgalov.

"I thought out goaltender was an All-Star tonight," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "When it was 3-3 he made some saves that were the difference in the hockey game."

Wojtek Wolski and Brett Clark also scored for the Avalanche, who have lost three in a row.

Phoenix's long-dormant power play came to life against Colorado, scoring twice in six opportunities. The Coyotes had been 2-for-21 with the man-advantage over their previous five games.

"We worked hard on it and spent a lot of time trying to make sure everyone knows their responsibility and the work ethic it takes but at the same time you have to have skill," Gretzky said.

After Wolski gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead on a short wrist shot from the right side of the net at 13:23 of the first, the Coyotes answered with three second-period goals, including a pair in 11 seconds.

Vrbata recorded his first tally when he took a pass from Martin Hanzal on his skate, kicked the puck onto his stick and beat Peter Budaj from the left side of the crease at 3:30 of the second.

Phoenix won the ensuing faceoff, passing the puck back to defenseman Ed Jovanovski just inside the Coyotes' defensive zone. Jovanovski looped a high arcing pass to Reinprecht streaking down the right side, and the left wing fired a wrist shot past Budaj to make it 2-1 at 3:41.

Vrbata added his second at 15:52 when he slipped the puck between Budaj's pad and the near post to make it 3-1.

Clark pulled the Avalanche within 3-2 with just 48 seconds left in the period when he received a crossing pass from Ian Laperriere, faked Bryzgalov to the ice and scored into the open right side of the net.

"We had a great start to the third and around the net we just couldn't get it," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "We'll take the point but certainly would have loved to win."

After the game, Colorado's Ryan Smith was helped from the locker room for X-rays on an apparent right leg injury but results were not disclosed.