Recap: Ekman-Larsson Scores Twice, Coyotes Earn Point vs. Avalanche

DENVER -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored two goals in the final eight minutes on Friday night, and the Coyotes earned a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.

With the defeat, Arizona slipped to three points behind Colorado in the race for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings. The Avalanche have 85 points and the Coyotes have 82. Both teams have four games left.
Trailing 2-0, Ekman-Larsson, the only player left from the last Coyotes team to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012, scored a goal with a long wrist shot through traffic from the left point. Needing another to keep Arizona from falling four points behind, Ekman-Larsson delivered with a shot from inside the left circle with 50.5 seconds left as the Coyotes skated with an extra attacker/empty net.
"We never gave up," Ekman-Larsson said. "We kept pushing ... We got behind, 2-0, and it's hard to come back, but we pushed forward and we got a point. We're not happy about it, but it could be worse ... It could end up being a big point for us."

Darcy Kuemper, making his 19th start in a row, stopped 25 of 27 shots.
Colorado built its 2-0 lead by scoring two power-play goals in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon and Derick Brassard produced the tallies within a six-minute span in the second half of the period. The Coyotes were 0 for 3 on power plays.
"Guys played hard," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "The difference was they got two power-play goals. I thought five-on-five we held most of the play ... I liked the way we defended, for sure."

• Both teams took three shots on goal in the overtime, but Kuemper and Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer kept the game tied.
MacKinnon then scored via a slick backhanded shot in the first round of the shootout for Colorado. Nick Cousins, Alex Galchenyuk and Vinnie Hinostroza all took shootout shots for Arizona but failed.
"We worked our tails off which, at this time of the year, is all you can ask for," said Derek Stepan, who skated 20:03 and won 14 of 25 face-offs. "....This group has been tough all year long, mentally hanging in there and just sticking with the system."

• Arizona will play three of its final four games at home, starting Sunday when it hosts Minnesota, which is just one point behind the Coyotes in the standings.
"We're still in this thing," Tocchet said. "...We've got to worry about Minnesota on Sunday. That's a big game for us. We've got to win that hockey game."