Pickard rescues Avs
AVALANCHE 4, COYOTES 3, OT Goalie blanks Coyotes after Colorado falls behind 3-0
glendale, ariz. » As aHall of Fame goaltender — maybe the best there ever was— Avalanche coach Patrick Roy doesn’t like to offer on-ice instruction to his netminders.
Roy doesn’t want to intimidate and relies on specialized defensive coaches AndreTourigny and Francois Allaire to work with the guys between the pipes.
So perhaps it was a bad sign Tuesday morning when Roy was working one-on-one with goalie Reto Berra, who was set to start against the Arizona Coyoteswith a .895 save percentage. Roywas at times on his knees, showing Berra the basics of the butterfly and glove position.
Berra flopped again, albeit with an inadvertent redirection “own” goal by Avs defenseman Nick Holden and another change-up tally by Coyotes center Antoine Vermette. The third goal allowed was soft, and Berrawas pulled for 22-year-old rookieCalvin Pickard for the second straight game with Colorado in deep trouble, this time trailing 3-0.
This has become a point-producing formula for the Avs, who rallied in front of Pickard behind young standouts Gabe Landeskog (two goals) and Matt Duchene (goal) and a lucky overtime bounce off the stick of Daniel Briere inwinning 4-3 in overtime and collecting points for the fourth time in their past five games.
“It’s a tough stretch right now for Reto, and unfortunately for him,” Roy said. “Good for us that Calvin is playing well.”
Briere’s centering pass with 1:44 remaining in OT caromed in off Coyotes forwardMartin Hanzal. Briere said the bad bounces the Avs had in the first period evened out at the end.
SaidRoy: “Allwewantedwas to win the second period and see wherewewere, and I thought the guys competed hard in the third. We put pucks on net, battled hard in front of their net and found ways to score goals.”
Roy singled out Landeskog. “He’s such a warrior, really battled hard,” Roy said of the captain.
Pickard got the win in the Avs’ previous game, a 4-3 triumph over Carolina on Saturday after the Hurricanes chased Berra and led 3-1. He was again stellar against Arizona and figures to be the new No. 1 goalie until SemyonVarlamov returns from a groin injury.
“Itwas pretty much a replica of last game. We got down early and once I got in our team pretty much took over the game,” said Pickard, who had his father, Dan, and former billet family from juniors in attendance. “Being down 3-0 on the road is not easy, but they kept with it, had a ton of chances, and it was nice to win that in overtime.”
Holden entered Tuesday atminus-14, among the league’sworst, and his troubles continued. Midway through the game he had Berra behind him, but nevertheless tried to make a glove save on Michael Stone’s shot from the point. Holden’s glove wasn’t as big as what goalie Berra had, and the change in direction off Holden’s mitt steered theAvs into a 2-0 deficit.
Tobias Rieder scored off a long snap shot to chase Berra before the Avs came alive. Landeskog roofed a backhander early in the second period andwent five-hole on goalie Mike Smith early in the third before Duchene tied it with a fortunate bounce off the stick of a Coyotes defenseman.
TheAvs departed forDenver immediately after the game and will play the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesdaynight at thePepsiCenter. The Blackhawkswill be fresh.
Colorado’s charter out of Denver International Airport onMondaywas leaving for Phoenix as the Blackhawks’ plane was arriving.