The Colorado Avalanche seeks to rebound from a hard-fought, Game 3 loss on Saturday to the Arizona Coyotes. With a win in Game 4 on Monday, the Avs can extend their series lead to 3-1.
Colorado created opportunities on Saturday, outshooting the Coyotes 51-23, but had trouble finishing plays against goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Still, Mikko Rantanen scored with under a minute left to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Avs couldn't find an equalizer to send the contest to overtime.
Andre Burakovsky scored Colorado's first goal of the game, his second of the series after recording the game-winner on Friday. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Samuel Girard each had an assist in Game 3. Pavel Francouz, making his first start of the series in the second half of a back-to-back, saved 19 of the 21 shots he faced.
The Avalanche acquired defenseman Kevin Connauton and a 2020 third-round pick from Arizona for Carl Soderberg, who played the previous four seasons in Colorado (2015-2019)… Arizona's Brad Richardson was drafted in the fifth-round by Colorado (No. 163) in 2003 and played his first three NHL seasons with the Avs (2005-2008)… Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet was an assistant coach in Colorado from 2002-2004… Avalanche defenseman Ian Cole and Arizona forward Phil Kessel were teammates on the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2015-2018 and won two Stanley Cups together with the Pens (2016 and 2017)… Kessel and Nazem Kadri both played on the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-2015… Colorado's Matt Nieto and Arizona's Jason Demers were teammates on the San Jose Sharks from 2013-2015… Erik Johnson and Coyotes' Alex Goligoski were teammates at the University of Minnesota in 2006-07.
HISTORY
The Avs took Game 1, 3-0, scoring all three goals in a span of 1:23 and limiting the Coyotes to 14 shots on goal. Colorado won 3-2 two days later in Game 2, as the teams traded goals until Andre Burakovsky rifled in a shot with under three minutes left. The Avalanche outshot the Coyotes 51-23 in the third contest of the series but Arizona won 4-2.
In the regular season, the Avalanche and Coyotes split their series one game apiece. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime at home on Oct. 12, as Burakovsky scored the winning goal in a two-point effort (one goal, assist) and Cale Makar had two assists in the outing. The Coyotes won the rematch 3-0 in Glendale on Nov. 2 behind a 33-save outing from Darcy Kuemper.
Colorado owns a 64-50-18 franchise mark against the Coyotes dating back to when Arizona was the Winnipeg Jets and the Avalanche was the Quebec Nordiques. Since the Avs moved to Denver in 1995, the team has earned a 47-30-10 record against Arizona. Burakovsky (one goal, one assist) and Makar (two assists) led Colorado in points against the Coyotes this season.
This series marks the first time that the Avs and Coyotes have met in the playoffs since 2000, when Colorado defeated the then-Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 in a best-of-seven series to win the conference quarterfinals. The Avalanche outscored Phoenix 17-10 in that series, only falling once in Game 4.
ROSTER REPORT
Head coach Jared Bednar has not said who will start in net in Game 4. Pavel Francouz got the call in Game 3, the second half of a back-to-back, after Philipp Gruabuer was between the pipes for the first two contests of the series. Bednar said on Sunday that forward Vladislav Namestnikov, who left Game 2 with an injury and did not play in Game 3, is day-to-day.
SCOUTING THE COYOTES
Arizona took 23 shots in Game 3 and Darcy Kuemper made 49 saves, extending his total postseason saves to 263, the most for any goalie in the playoffs so far. Kuemper has a .933 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average through seven 2020 postseason starts.
Offensively in Game 3, Taylor Hall had two points (one goal, one assist), as did Jason Demers with two assists. Derek Stepan and Brad Richardson tallied the Coyotes' first two goals, and Lawson Crouse sent in an empty-netter with five seconds remaining.
AVS PLAYER TO WATCH: Cale Makar
Cale Makar has recorded an assist in all three games against the Coyotes, tallying his third of the series on Mikko Rantanen's late goal on Saturday.
The Calder Trophy finalist is also leading the team in ice time, skating an average of 21:59 in the first round. He's tied for second on the team in shots during the series, too, with 10. He notched seven in Game 3 on Saturday, the most ever by a first rookie defenseman in franchise history and the second most by a first-year Avs/Nordiques player at any positions (Chris Drury, 9, May 28, 1999 vs. Dallas).
(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: Carl Soderberg
Soderberg, who spent the four previous seasons on the Avalanche, recorded his first point of the series in the Coyotes' Game 3 win, notching an assist on the final empty-net goal.
Soderberg finished the regular season with 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) and a career-high shooting percentage of 12.6. In 39 playoff contests, Soderberg has registered 12 points (two goals, 10 assists).
NUMBERS GAME
.957
In his two starts against the Coyotes in Games 1-2, Philipp Grubauer has a .957 save percentage, turning away 44 of the 46 shots he's faced.
5
Colorado has allowed just five 5-on-5 goals in the 2020 playoffs, tied for the fewest in the NHL.
6
Nathan MacKinnon has at least one point in all six playoff games, starting with round-robin play, tying Joe Sakic's streak to open the playoffs in 2004 and is one short of Peter Forsberg (7 games in 2004). The Hart Trophy finalist has seven points (two goals, five assists) this postseason.
51
The Avs 51 shots in Game 3 were the most any team has recorded in regulation so far this postseason and the sixth-most in a single game for any playoff team so far.
NOTEBOOK
The Avs have scored nine goals in the third period this postseason, tied for second-most in the NHL (Vegas, 10)... Colorado's 51 shots in Game 3 marked just the sixth time in franchise history that the Avs had over 50 shots in a playoff game and only the second time in a non-overtime finish… Andre Burakovsky, who leads the team with three tallies this postseason, scored in back-to-back playoff games for the second time in his career (May 6-8, 2017 against the Pittsburgh Penguins as a member of the Washington Capitals)... After recording an assist on Saturday, Samuel Girard is the ninth Avs player with at least three points in the 2020 postseason.
