Arizona Coyotes give up big lead, lose in in overtime: By the Numbers
Nov 26, 2014, 4:59 AM | Updated: 8:05 am
Three goals to naught is a dangerous lead to rest on — especially if you’re the Arizona Coyotes.
The ‘Yotes went up fast and early in the first period off an Antoine Vermette slapshot at 3:36, followed by two rapid-fire goals from Michael Stone and Tobias Rieder, respectively.
Yet after a mostly stagnant second period from the Avalanche, Arizona gave up a momentum-building backhander to Gabriel Landeskog to start the onslaught of four unanswered Colorado goals.
The Avalanche would ultimately take the game in overtime in bizarre fashion — Colorado’s Daniel Briere shot on goaltender Mike Smith, and Arizona’s own Martin Hanzal got a chunk of it by chance, sending the puck careening into his own goal for Colorado’s 4-3 win.
Smith smacked his stick against the goal afterward in apparent frustration — the loss hits the Coyotes with a 9-11-3 record.
What’d the match look like by the numbers?
3-0
The initial lead was impressive, but what most stuck out about it wasn’t Vermette’s initial slapshot (his fourth in the first period this season, a team high) to kick things off.
Instead, what was most encouraging for the ‘Yotes were the following two goals by Rieder and Stone — they occurred within 35 seconds of each other to give Arizona the cushion. All goals were scored in the first 11 minutes of the match — from there, Arizona was held scoreless.
Rieder’s goal was his second of the season.
33-33
Arizona and Colorado had attacked the goal evenly by the end of the match with 33 shots-on-goal apiece.
0-5-2
In his last seven games, Smith, the Coyotes’ starting goaltender, is 0-5-2.
Against the Avalanche he blocked 30 of 34 shots, yet two of the goals seemed as bizarre as that finish — on one, he seemed to lose the puck under his own leg and gave a waiting Colorado player the chance to slip the puck past the line.
Backup goalie Devan Dubnyk is 5-0-1 to start the season.
2
Two goals went past Smith off Coyotes sticks in the Arizona loss. The first came when a pass from Matt Duchene clacked off Coyotes forward Lauri Korpikoski’s stick and past smith for the tying goal. Lightning struck twice when the game went into overtime, and the Avalanche got the game-winner off Hanzel’s stick.
25
Colorado’s backup goalie, Calvin Pickard, shut down his house with 25 saves after entering the game at 10:53 in the first period. Due in part to his effort in goal, the Coyotes wouldn’t score again after those first three.
This is the second consecutive game Colorado’s current starting goalie, Reto Berra, has been pulled in the first period.
2011
This is the first time since 2011 the Coyotes have given up a 3-0 lead (Feb. 1 against the San Jose Sharks).
0-20
Arizona is struggling to capitalize off power plays, and is now 0-for-20 in their last five home games.
4
Arizona has now lost four out of its last five games, three of which were on the road.
The Coyotes will have the chance to break that streak and start to even out their win-loss column when they host the Calgary Flames on Nov. 29.