Doan, Gordon on the double in Coyotes' rout

Doan, Gordon on the double in Coyotes' rout

Published Jan. 16, 2012 4:00 p.m. ET


GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Shane Doan needed 16 years to get his first NHL hat trick. He nearly had another less than a week later.

The Phoenix team captain settled for his 40th two-goal game instead and the Coyotes got an outburst of offense from a multitude of contributors in a 6-1 rout of the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

Boyd Gordon had his first two-goal game in Phoenix's triumphant home turnaround after a 0-3 road trip. Sandwiched around that journey, the Coyotes outscored their opponents 11-2 in a pair of romps at home.

"That was a game as a group that you enjoy," Doan said after Monday's win, "just because we don't usually have those games. We don't usually make it easy on ourselves."

Phoenix plays at Anaheim on Wednesday, then the next six in a row at home.

"We're going to be here a while after a real treacherous part of our schedule and we've got to make hay," coach Dave Tippett said.

Gilbert Brule had a goal and assist for the Coyotes just six days after he was claimed off waivers from Edmonton.

Rostislav Klesla scored Phoenix's season-high sixth goal in the third period. Chris Summers had a pair of assists for his first career NHL points. Ray Whitney joined the Phoenix scoring with a pair of assists.

Chuck Kobasew scored Colorado's goal.

Mike Smith had 38 saves to 27 for Semyon Varlamov of the Avalanche. Smith made a series of big plays when the game still was on the line.

"He made a couple of saves when it was 1-1, 2-1 that were just world-class saves," Doan said. "He's been doing that for us all year. We just have to find a way to get him some offensive support."

Doan, meanwhile, has scored five times in his past two home games and has 14 goals overall this season.

"It's one of those things that comes and goes," he said, "and you want to try to ride it as long as you can. I know shooting pucks is a big thing for me, and I've got to shoot it more."

Doan's first NHL hat trick came in his 16th season, his 1,161st game, on Jan. 7, the final goal coming with just .01 seconds to play.

Before that, the popular Coyotes team captain had been, along with Scott Melanby, the only players in NHL history with no hat tricks and at least 300 career goals.

After that hat trick finally came, the Coyotes left home and lost three in a row, the first two in shootouts.

Colorado came in on the heels of a 2-1 win at Dallas that snapped a three-game skid.

"They capitalized on their scoring chances," Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk said. "We had chances, too, in the second and early third, but the game got away from us and we were just chasing the game."

Gordon got the first two-goal game of his 402-game NHL career. He has 32 career goals, four this season.

"It was good to see," he said. "We had lots of other people contributing, not just the same guys. We need everyone in the room to get wins."

The teams scored 2 1/2 minutes apart in the first period.

The Coyotes' first goal came on a rare power play. Phoenix had a 5 on 4 advantage because the Coyotes' Kyle Chipchura and Colorado's Cody McLeod were serving five minutes for fighting, then Paul Stastny went to the penalty box for hooking.

As that penalty was winding down, Keith Yandle got the puck to Brule, who slapped it strong into the net to make it 1-0 just 7:18 into the game and six seconds left on the power play.

Colorado tied it in a hurry. Eric Johnson let a shot fly from just inside his blue line and the puck deflected off Kobasew's stick and past Smith into the net to square it at 1-1 at 9:36.

Doan took a pass from Yandle and maneuvered up the center of the ice for a breakaway that put Phoenix back ahead 2-1. Summers knocked the puck toward the goal and Doan deflected it in for the only goal of the second period, putting Phoenix ahead 3-1 with 9:06 left in the second period.

Colorado didn't have a power play for only the second time all season.

"I'm not sure how many penalties were deserved," coach Joe Sacco said, "but when you go through a whole game when the other teams plays a perfect game it's something to be said for how they play."

NOTES: Phoenix D Adrian Aucoin and L Raffi Torres missed the game with lower-body injuries. ... Colorado is 7-0 in shootouts this season, 10-0 dating to last season. ... Brule scored his first NHL goal in the same arena from almost the same spot on Nov. 20. 2005. ... Colorado is 4 for 40 on power plays the past 14 games.

ADVERTISEMENT
share