The Arizona Coyotes picked up a much-needed win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3, but the Avs bounced back in convincing fashion to push the Yotes to the brink of elimination.
The Arizona Coyotes have survived all postseason long behind tremendous efforts from goaltender Darcy Kuemper. I said after the team’s Game 3 win that Arizona needed to give him some more offensive support if it wanted to get by the Colorado Avalanche. That was exactly what did not happen in Game 4.
The first half of period one saw Colorado register only six shots on goal, a total that I would imagine the Coyotes are comfortable allowing. However, Arizona registered no shots and attempted only one in the first ten and a half minutes of the game.
In the second half of the opening period, the Yotes managed only three shots, while the Avalanche managed three goals, a total that they had not exceeded in any game this series. The Colorado goal scorers were Matt Nieto and Nazem Kadri, the latter striking for a pair of power play markers.
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The fast start for the Avs was huge. Not only did they shut down almost every offensive attempt by the Coyotes, but they got to Kuemper early and often, which has not been an easy thing to do in the playoffs.
In the second period, the Avalanche kept its foot on the gas. The Colorado defense continued to contain the Arizona offense, while the forwards continued to outshoot the Coyotes. That translated to a 4-0 lead when Joonas Donskoi put home a nice pass from Andre Burakovsky on a two-on-one opportunity.
That prompted the Coyotes to push a little harder on offense, firing more shots, drawing a penalty, and scoring on the ensuing power play, courtesy of defenseman Jakob Chychrun. The surge from Arizona was quickly overcome by the Avalanche, which led 4-1 on the scoreboard and 22-9 in shots after the second period.
When the third period began, Antti Raanta was between the pipes for the Coyotes, most likely to either spark Arizona, give Kuemper a rest in a game that was out of reach, or a combination of both. The players in front of him, however, did not seem to get the message, as they conceded a goal to Cale Makar in the opening seconds of the period.
That was followed minutes later by Matt Calvert, who extended the Avalanche lead to 6-1. One final goal would be tacked on late in the period, as Mikko Rantanen deflected a shot by Erik Johnson on the power play to make it 7-1.
Kadri, who recorded his third and fourth goals of the playoffs and led the way with three points in this game, has been everything Colorado could have hoped for when he was acquired in the offseason. In his underwhelming postseason career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he racked up ten points and 56 penalty minutes in 19 games. This year with Colorado, he has nine points and no penalties in seven games.
While he is one of several players that have stepped up for the Avalanche, the Coyotes are still looking for contributions from star players. In Game 4, top forwards Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall combined for a minus-3 rating, three shots, and five giveaways. In the series, the two have a total of one goal and one assist, both of which were scored by Hall, and the goal was an empty-net tally.
Arizona is a very solid team, but its effort in Game 4 was less than inspiring, and the team has seemed overwhelmed by Colorado throughout the series. I do not expect this team to go quietly, but nonetheless, it will be on the brink of elimination when the two teams reconvene on Wednesday for Game 5.