• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Injury-plagued Avalanche host Coyotes

Feb 4, 2008 - 2:15 PM Phoenix (27-22-3) at Colorado (28-21-4) 9:00 pm EST

DENVER (Ticker) - Continuing to bide their time until the return of injured stars Paul Stastny, Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth, the Colorado Avalanche host the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday.

The Avalanche are just 3-3-1 in their last seven games. After getting shut out at Detroit on Friday, Colorado bounced back the following night with a 6-4 win at St. Louis.

"Big. Huge," Colorado coach Joel Quenneville said. "(A 2-0 loss at Detroit), we were two minutes away from getting it to overtime. That was disappointing and a tough loss. I like how we rebounded."

Stastny (appendectomy), the Avalanche's leading scorer with 49 points, could be back in a week. Sakic (hernia surgery) and Smyth (ankle) are not expected back until the end of February at the earliest.

Avalanche goaltender Peter Budaj is 6-1-2 all-time with a 2.65 goals-against average against Phoenix. Budaj has been in goal for Colorado's last two games due to Jose Theodore's back spasms.

Phoenix has gone 1-1-1 on its five-game road trip. The Coyotes are coming off Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss at Nashville.