Avalanche goalie Pavel Francouz was called upon in a consecutive-day situation, and he certainly wasn’t to blame in a Game 3 loss in which he allowed two goals high over his right shoulder Saturday in Edmonton.
The top-shelf shots by Arizona forwards Derek Stepan and Brad Richardson probably would have beat any goaltender.
Francouz, who backed up Philipp Grubauer in Games 1 and 2, stopped 11-of-12 shots in the first period but faced just nine in the latter 40 minutes as the Avs dominated offensively.
“I didn’t have any issues staying in the game,” Francouz said after his NHL postseason debut. “It’s tough when you’re standing in there and just hoping for your teammates to score.”
Grubauer is the likely starter for Monday’s Game 4, although no official announcement has been made.
Makar’s moments. Avs defenseman Cale Makar logged a team-high 25:42 and tied center Nathan MacKinnon with a team-most seven shots. Makar’s shot total was most by an Avalanche rookie defenseman in postseason history and second-most by an Avalanche rookie since forward Chris Drury (nine) in 1999.
But Makar, as good as he is, might have been overplayed at the end of the game. He had two chances to gain puck possession before the Coyotes’ empty-net goals and wasn’t able to do so. Afterward, Makar was seen on the bench with his head down and trying to collect his breath.
Footnotes. Avs winger Joonas Donskoi returned to the lineup after missing Game 2. Winger Vladislav Namestnikov was scratched after leaving early in Game 2 with what appeared to be an upper-body injury. … Donskoi and winger Valeri Nichushkin failed to produce a shot. Nichushkin also didn’t have a shot in Game 2 and remains pointless in the postseason. … MacKinnon assisted on Colorado’s second goal to extend his postseason points streak to six games. … Winger Andre Burakovsky scored in his second straight game and third of the playoffs, matching his postseason career-high from 2017 when he was with the Washington Capitals. … The Avs were 38–30 on faceoffs (56%).