Makar scores in OT to lift Avalanche past Coyotes

DENVER -- Cale Makar scored 1:38 into overtime to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Ball Arena on Saturday.

Makar cut through the middle of the ice, got around a defender, and finished with a backhand.
"[Nathan MacKinnon] dropped that to me," Makar said. "I felt like their guy was kind of, I don't know, going for the change or the middle of the ice, and I felt like I could get enough speed to go around the outside. Kind of a good spot, good pick by Mikko [Rantanen] there, and it worked out."
MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Denis Malgin scored, and Alexandar Georgiev made 18 saves for the Avalanche (36-22-6), who had lost four of five.
Colorado is five points points behind the Minnesota Wild, who have played two more games, for second in the Central Division following the Wild's 5-2 win at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
"I thought we were outstanding [in] the second and third," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "First period, it seemed like every rush attack [Arizona] got, they got a scoring chance on it. For the final 40 minutes, the 5-on-5 game, especially in the third period, was outstanding."

Clayton Keller and Jack McBain scored, and Connor Ingram made 41 saves for the Coyotes (23-32-11), who had won two straight.
"The guys really fought hard," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "Really good team, they got an unbelievable push the second half of the game. I think we hung in there. 'Ingy' made the difference, but I think we blocked a lot of shots, we fought around the net, we cleared the net for rebounds and stuff like that, so I think that was the way."
Malgin made it 1-0 at 2:00 of the first period when he drove the net from low in the right circle and finished a backhand shot far side.
"I felt even tonight, against them, we did have to earn it, but we were really good at getting into the interior ice and getting to the net and fighting for rebounds," Bednar said.
McBain tied it 1-1 at 6:50 on a rebound.
"It's obviously tough when you let one go early, but we showed good character and kind of came back pretty well there in the first," McBain said. "Obviously, [Matias Maccelli] and [Lawson Crouse] made a really good play there, and I just stop at the net and good things happen. So, it was good to get that one."

Keller put Arizona ahead 2-1 at 17:18 after receiving a pass all alone in the right circle and beating Georgiev five-hole.
"We just stressed patience," Makar said. "I don't think anybody gets overanxious in here, but as a group, if you want to find that success, everybody's got to have that patience like we did last year in the playoffs."
MacKinnon tied it 2-2 at 11:25 of the second period, scoring with a snap shot from the right circle through traffic for a power-play goal. He extended his home goal streak to nine games (14 goals), an Avalanche record.
"[It doesn't mean] a whole lot," MacKinnon said of the record. "I don't think I'll ever be as good as Joe [Sakic]. Maybe [Michel] Goulet, but not Joe. But happy to get some goals and try to get some wins here."

Colorado outshot the Coyotes 18-0 in the third period.
"We kind of broke them down at the end and had a ton of chances, but for the first two periods it was tough to get anything going, and I guess that was [because] of their structure," MacKinnon said. "We didn't really know that coming in, I don't think. I think they might have done that recently, so had to adjust."
Arizona forward Christian Fischer left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury.
"He's an important player," Tourigny said. "He can play against anybody in the League and skate, and he has a veteran presence. So, it's a big loss, but it's lower-body and he'll be day to day for now."
NOTES: Makar scored his 18th career game-winning goal, tying Tyson Barrie for the most by a defenseman in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history. It was Makar's fifth NHL overtime goal, which also put him ahead of Barrie for the most in Avalanche/Nordiques history. … Colorado held a team without a shot in a period for the second time in its history (Feb. 16, 2015, also against Arizona). … Rantanen had two assists for his 130th multipoint game, tying Gabriel Landeskog for eighth in Avalanche/Nordiques history.