Recap
Coyotes 3, Avalanche 0
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) -Al Montoya made 23 saves to earn a shutout in his first NHL game, Mikkel Boedker, Shane Doan and Zbynek Michalek scored a goal each, and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the reeling Colorado Avalanche 3-0 on Wednesday night.

Montoya, recalled from the AHL on March 23, led the Coyotes to their third win in four games.

Andrew Raycroft had 32 saves for the Avalanche, which is winless in its last eight.

Boedker gave Phoenix the early lead with his 11th goal. He picked up a loose puck out of a scrum in front, moved to his left, and wristed a shot past Raycroft 6:28 into the game.

Doan scored an insurance goal, his 30th goal of the season, with 12:43 left, and Michalek added an empty-netter with 2.2 seconds remaining.

Colorado, the last-place team in the Western Conference, hopes to have captain Joe Sakic back before the end of the season. Sakic, who has missed 62 games with back and hand injuries, said Wednesday he is still trying to get the strength back in his leg after surgery in January to repair a herniated disk.

"I just want to be able to try to come back," said the 39-year-old forward, who recently returned to the ice but has yet to go through a contact practice. "Where the future stands, I'm not too sure."

Sakic was one of ten injured players out of the lineup against Phoenix, and the news got worse for Colorado. Forward Ryan Smyth injured a hand in the second period and did not return. Smyth, who leads the team with 59 points, is one of two Avalanche players to play in all 77 games this season.

The Avalanche's last home win came March 12 against Minnesota, a span of four games. They will finish below .500 for the first time since 1993-94, when they were the Quebec Nordiques. The Avalanche has been outscored 36-10 during its winless streak, including 22-4 at home.

Notes: Avalanche F Wojtek Wolski (illness) missed his third straight game. ... The Avalanche was shut out for the ninth time this season. ... Doan reached the 30-goal mark for the second time in his 13-year career.


Three star selections
1st:   AL MONTOYA
2nd:   MIKKEL BOEDKER
3rd:   SHANE DOAN
Winning Goaltender
Al Montoya

Losing Goaltender
Andrew Raycroft

SCHEDULE

HOME
AWAY
PROMOTIONAL

STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

STATS

2012-2013 REGULAR SEASON
SKATERS: GP G A +/- Pts
P. Parenteau 48 18 25 -11 43
M. Duchene 47 17 26 -12 43
P. Stastny 40 9 15 -7 24
J. McGinn 47 11 11 -13 22
J. Mitchell 47 10 10 5 20
R. O'Reilly 29 6 14 -3 20
G. Landeskog 36 9 8 -4 17
T. Barrie 32 2 11 -11 13
C. McLeod 48 8 4 4 12
M. Hejduk 29 4 7 -7 11
 
GOALIES: W L OT Sv% GAA
J. Giguere 5 4 4 .908 2.84
S. Varlamov 11 21 3 .903 3.02
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