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Vrbata lifts Coyotes past Avalanche

Feb 5, 2008 - 6:12 AM DENVER (Ticker) -- Radim Vrbata scored two goals - including the game-winner with 1:37 remaining in overtime - as the Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3, on Monday.

Vrbata carried the puck into the offensive zone and backhanded a shot which goaltender Peter Budaj was able to block - but unable to corral. As players converged, the puck trickled slowly across the goal line for his 24th tally of the season.

"There was a big, huge scrum there and I'm just pushing everything as hard as I can," said captain Shane Doan, who earned an assist after originally being credited with the goal. "We were pretty fortunate to come away with two points. We know that."

While the Coyotes celebrated, members of the stunned Avalanche remained on the bench until video replay confirmed the goal.

"It's a judgment call," defenseman Brett Clark said. "He made his call and we have to live with it. A lot of us couldn't see on the bench and maybe we can see the replay. The call was made, we just have to deal with it and move on."

Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville was not as forgiving.

"I disagree with the call. The intention's to blow the whistle, you don't blow the whistle because the puck went over the goal line," Quenneville said. "His intention was to blow the puck dead before the puck went in. Plus, the guy jumped on the goalie. Interference. Blow the whistle at that time of the game. It was a ridiculous non-call and I'm upset."

Vrbata's heroics came after he missed the entire second period receiving treatment on his sore left ankle.

"It was pretty sore after the first, they worked on it during the second period," he said. "They taped it up and I was able to come back."

Peter Mueller, who was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January on Monday and Ian Laperriere tallied for Phoenix.

Rookie T.J. Hensick scored two goals and Daniel Winnick also tallied for Colorado, which fell to 3-4-1 in its last eight games.

Vrbata forced overtime after accepting a goal-mouth feed from Steven Reinprecht and beating Budaj with 3:11 remaining in the third period to tie the game at 3-3.

"(Reinprecht) tried it before this season," Vrbata said. "We looked at each other before the faceoff and I knew what he was doing. It seemed like the Avalanche players stopped playing. I was wondering if there was a whistle that I didn't hear."

With the game tied at 2-2 midway through the third period, Hensick poked the puck past goaltender Mikael Tellqvist just inside the net before it was cleared by defenseman Keith Ballard. Although play continued, reviews clearly showed the puck crossing the line, earning Hensick his fifth goal of the season.

Hensick gave the Avalanche a short-lived 1-0 lead with 2:12 left in the first period when he knocked in Tyler Arnason's pass through the crease. Arnason accepted a feed from John-Michael Liles below the right circle before firing a pass to Hensick at the left post.

Arnason has three goals and eight assists in his last 11 games, while Hensick has three goals and an assist in the last four.

"I'm getting there," Hensick said of his adjustment to playing in the NHL. "It's definitely a challenge every time you get called up to play with the best players in the world.

"We had the lead there late in the third and we couldn't hold it. I think that's something we'll focus on next game."

Mueller tied the game 73 seconds later while Phoenix was on a 5-on-3 power play.

After Brad Richardson and Clark were called for penalties 23 seconds apart, Mueller and All-Star defenseman Ed Jovanovski traded passes before Mueller beat Budaj with a one-timer from the high slot.

Jovanovski extended his point streak to four games, while the second assist went to Doan, who has eight goals and 13 assists in his last 15 games.

Winnik gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead when he tipped Matt Murley's pass from the right corner past Budaj.

The Avalanche tied the game when Richardson intercepted Jovanovski's pass, carried the length of the ice and fed Laperriere, who chipped the puck over Tellqvist's right shoulder for his fourth goal of the season.

Tellqvist, who was playing for the first time in seven games, made 33 saves to earn his seventh victory of the season.

"We need to perform like we did tonight every night," he said. "The defensemen did a (heck) of a job. I pretty much saw every shot the whole night."

With their third victory of the season against Colorado, the Coyotes pulled to within one point of the Avalanche for seventh place in the Western Conference.

"The goal here is to keep improving and win as many games as we can," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. "Colorado is a good example of that. They're missing three of their best players and they battled hard tonight, too. We got a little bit lucky and we got two points out of it."