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Avalanche look to halt skid vs. Coyotes

Mar 31, 2009 - 11:01 PM By Nicolino DiBenedetto Stats Writer

Phoenix (32-37-7) at Colorado (31-43-2), 9 p.m. EDT

DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Avalanche franchise hasn't endured an eight-game losing streak in more than 17 years. The Avs will be trying to avoid their first since moving to Denver when they host the last-place Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night.

Colorado (31-43-2) lost its seventh straight Sunday, 4-1 at Anaheim as its disastrous season continued. The Avalanche finished second in the Northwest Division with 95 points last season, but they have the fewest points in the Western Conference by far in 2008-09.

The slide is the team's longest since an eight-game skid from Jan. 2-23, 1992, when the franchise was the Quebec Nordiques and finished at the bottom of the Wales Conference.

Colorado is assured of its lowest point total since relocating for the 1995-96 season. The Avs, winners of two Stanley Cups since the move, trail 14th-place Phoenix (32-37-7) by seven points with six games to play.

With 193 goals, the Avalanche are among the NHL's lowest-scoring teams, something that's been evident during their slide. Colorado has 10 goals in the seven losses and hasn't scored more than two in any of those games.

Milan Hejduk, the team's co-leader with Ryan Smyth at 26 goals, has one goal and one assist over the last 10 games after producing five goals and seven assists in the previous 10.

Hejduk also hasn't been very productive against the Coyotes, scoring one goal in the last seven matchups. That came in the team's one meeting at the Pepsi Center this season, a 5-4 Avs overtime victory Dec. 23.

Colorado dropped the following matchup 3-1 at Phoenix on Dec. 31, falling to 1-2-0 in the season series.

The Coyotes, who haven't won consecutive games since Feb. 19-21, have alternated wins and losses in their last seven contests. They're coming off Monday's 6-5 overtime victory against Dallas.

Phoenix is likely to dress Enver Lisin for a second consecutive game after he had two goals and assisted on the winning score versus the Stars. That performance came after the 22-year-old right wing was a healthy scratch for nine consecutive games.

"It was very nice getting back in the lineup," Lisin said. "It (being scratched) is part of the job. It's not the first time. You just have to a professional, practice hard and wait for your chance."

Lisin, the Coyotes' second-round pick in the 2004 draft, has 12 goals and eight assists in 45 games. He's collected three assists in three career meetings with Colorado.

Shane Doan, Phoenix's leader with 29 goals and 67 points, has three goals and nine assists in his last seven games versus the Avs. The All-Star right wing had a goal and assisted on Petr Prucha's winner Monday, giving him six goals and seven assists in the last 11 games.