Valeri Nichushkin had the only goal in a seven-round shootout and also scored in regulation, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday.
Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, Bowen Byram also scored and Alexandar Georgiev turned away 27 shots through overtime and seven more in the shootout for Colorado.
The Avalanche (43-23-6, 92 points) moved ahead of Dallas for second place in the Central Division. Both teams sit at 92 points but the Avalanche have a game in hand.
Clayton Keller had a goal to extend his point streak to 12 games, Matias Maccelli and Christian Fischer also had goals and Connor Ingram made 29 saves and six in the shootout for the Coyotes (27-34-13, 67 points).
Nichushkin got the winner when he stickhandled to the right of the crease and reached over to score by Ingram’s opposite skate.
After a scoreless first period Colorado struck twice in the second. The Avalanche dumped the puck into the Arizona zone, Ingram controlled it behind the net and tried to send it around the boards and out. It hit Rantanen in the shoulder and came down behind the net, and he tucked it in on a wraparound at 9:30. It was his 48th of the season.
A little more than a minute later Logan O’Connor’s shot through traffic was saved but Byram jammed it in at 10:46. It was his eighth goal of the season.
The Coyotes got even with two goals scored within a minute midway through the third period. Maccelli made it 2-1 when he chased down his own rebound and beat Georgiev with a sharp-angle shot at 10:37 for his eighth of the season.
Fischer tied it when he scored at 11:37, his 12th goal of the season.
The Avalanche went on the power play 22 seconds later and Nichushkin cashed in when he deflected Rantanen’s centering pass by Ingram and 13:11. It was his 15th of the season.
Keller answered 2:17 later with a twisting wrister from the right circle to tie it at 3-3 and send it to overtime. It was his 36th of the season.
–Field Level Media
