The Avalanche got burned Saturday in a game they dominated, synthesizing what makes playing the Coyotes so frustrating.
Colorado hammered the Arizona net — 51 shots on goaltender Darcy Kuemper — but had 27 shots blocked and few clean looks. Arizona managed only 23 shots on goal, but also got two late empty-net goals that were the direct result of grit and effort.
The contrast in playing styles resulted in a Game 3 win, 4–2, for the wily Coyotes.
“It definitely speaks to Arizona’s grittiness, the way they’re playing, the commitment and sacrifice that they have in their locker room,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “They’re getting into shooting lanes all over the place. We spent quite a bit of time in the offensive zone shooting pucks, playing hard and doing a lot of good things. Sometimes you’re going to get a block. … I didn’t think we shot the puck particularly well for the amount of opportunities that we had. We probably could have done a better job there.”
Arizona’s success at stonewalling the Avs wasn’t from a lack of Colorado trying. The Avs controlled the offensive pace throughout, with 15 third-period shots representing some of their best offense all series. That didn’t faze the Coyotes’ pack-it-in defensive strategy.
Arizona center Derek Stepan and defenseman Jason Demers each self-sacrificed with four blocks apiece.
“I thought we did a really good job of taking away their time and space,” Kuemper said. “We probably spent more time on our end than we wanted to, but when we defend like that, we give ourselves a chance.”
What’s an Avalanche goal-scorer to do?
“When you’re creating a lot and playing in the o‑zone quite a bit, you expect them to put their bodies on the line and get into shooting lanes,” Colorado captain Gabe Landeskog said. “I think that’s a part of every team’s game plan to get in front of shots and sacrifice. We’ve just got to find a way to get some shots through and find different ways and different angles to attack them.”
Added Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen: “Everybody is blocking shots and it’s not an excuse for us. We have to find a lane and get more traffic to the net. Try to make it harder on the goalie. He made 50-something saves today. We just have to get in front of him more.”
The Avs will continue cracking away at the Coyotes’ defense until the dam finally breaks. It also calls for self-reflection.
Arizona’s pair of open-net goals late in the game was the result of Cale Makar getting outworked, albeit, without defender or goalie help. But Colorado must exert the same effort showcased by Arizona’s blockers, in all facets of the game, to ensure a first-round upset isn’t in the Avs’ future.
“We couldn’t find a way to put enough goals in the back of the net even though we had all those chances,” Bednar said.