Avs Push Too Late Against Coyotes

Registering single-digit shots in each of the first two periods isn't usually a recipe for success to win many hockey games.
That slow start didn't do the Colorado Avalanche any favors on Wednesday night.
Colorado trailed by one at the end of the second period after firing only 13 total shots on goal and ended up losing 3-1 to the Arizona Coyotes at Pepsi Center.

"I didn't think we were willing to skate the puck. I thought we were light on the puck for most of the night," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar afterward. "Our execution was poor, especially for the first two periods. You combine those three things and turns out you have 13 shots on goal. It's not enough.
"I thought [the Coyotes] played hard. They played a good game. You have to give them some credit. We got to be a lot better than that in the first two periods if we want to win hockey games."
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov did all he could to keep the Avs within striking distance, making 18 saves in the first two stanzas and 24 overall. He was beat by a puck that got loose from behind the net and squeaked right in front for a tap in during the first minute of the contest and off a nice shot on a rush midway through the second period.
"Thirteen shots after two periods, that is not good enough," said Colorado forward Gabriel Landeskog. "We know we let this one slip away."

The Avalanche responded with a much better third period. The club had a solid start to the final frame and had a prime chance to knot the contest at 2-2 five minutes in on a Nathan MacKinnon breakaway, but his ensuing shot ended up being one of Antti Raanta's 25 saves on the night.
Colorado outshot Arizona 13-7 in the last 20 minutes and had nine more total shot attempts in the frame (23-14).
"Just leave it all out there. Push," Landeskog said of the team's mindset heading into the last stanza.
"In the third, we pushed. We had some chances, but we weren't able to capitalize on. Their goalie made some key saves at key times and that was about it."
While a little rust is expected for the players after having three days away from the rink for the NHL Holiday Break, the Avalanche's performance in its return contest was more than just being sluggish for Bednar.
"It is not not having your legs--it's a mindset," Bednar said. "It's a willingness to skate the puck and lug it out of traffic and protect it and play in some hard areas. I didn't think we did it tonight."

PERFECT PENALTY KILL

The Avalanche killed off all four penalties it took and has now extinguished each of its last 28 infractions.
Colorado has been perfect on the penalty kill for nine straight contests, with its last power-play goal against coming on Dec. 7 at the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Avs' run of 28 consecutive kills is the team's longest since its stretch of 29 in a row from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4, 2014.
"PK was great again," Bednar said. "[The Coyotes] have some guys over there on the backend, they have some playmakers, guys like (Clayton) Keller. I thought the PK did a real nice job keeping them to the outside, good sticks. When we needed to block shots, we did."
The Avalanche entered the contest with the seventh-best penalty kill in the league with an 82.9-percent success rate. After its 4-for-4 night, Colorado is now the NHL's top short-handed club at home at 93.1 percent (54-for-58). The team's last power-play goal given up at Pepsi Center was Dec. 1 versus the New Jersey Devils.

RANTANEN'S STREAK CONTINUES

Mikko Rantanen extended his career-long point streak to seven games with the team's lone goal in the first period.
Rantanen's 11th marker of the season at 3:56 of opening frame tied Wednesday's game at 1-1 and was a nice response from the club's top forward line that also included Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog.
The No. 1 unit was scored on in its first shift, just 54 seconds into the game, but it bounced back on its second when Rantanen's shot from the left circle beat goaltender Antti Raanta short side and over the shoulder.

Rantanen has two goals and six assists during his streak and 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in his last 12 outings. It is the longest point streak by an Avs player since Matt Duchene's seven-game stretch from Nov. 10-23, 2015.
While his point streak continued, Rantanen's career-long assist run ended at six contests.

BARRIE OUT AT LEAST A MONTH

Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie will be out of the team's lineup for four-to-six weeks as he recovers from a fracture in his hand that he sustained in the team's previous game against the Coyotes on Saturday night.
Head coach Jared Bednar revealed the timetable for one of the club's top defenseman after morning skate on Wednesday.
"He just steps in front of a shot, didn't look like a hard shot," Bednar said. "I think it just caught him in the wrong spot. It's luck of the draw."
Barrie was on pace for a career season prior to the injury. He entered Wednesday's contest tied for second among league defensemen in scoring with 27 points (four goals and 23 assists) in 34 games.