Darcy Kuemper, Brad Richardson lead Coyotes to Game 3 victory over Avalanche
Darcy Kuemper #DarcyKuemper
Darcy Kuemper and Brad Richardson were the heroes once again as the Arizona Coyotes picked up their first win of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Colorado Avalanche with a 4-2 victory on Saturday in Edmonton.
The Avalanche still lead the series, 2-1.
The Coyotes struck first at 6:29 of the first period when center Derek Stepan fired one past Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz in the opening frame. Clayton Keller thwarted a Colorado clearing attempt and dished a give-and-go with Taylor Hall which preceded a Keller pass from the side of the net that found Stepan in front.
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Still, the Avalanche got its licks in the opening period, registering 20 shots on Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who broke his own franchise postseason record for most saves in a single postseason period. Kuemper had previously established the record during the Nashville series.
“Arguably the best goalie,” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said of Kuemper. “He’s got to be in the conversation over the last two years, for me. You can put him there with the best of the best. He’s an unflappable guy, a leader in his own right. He’s just a guy who people enjoy playing for and it’s easy for me to play him because he’s such a good goalie.”
Kuemper made 49 saves in the win, tying his career high set in the Coyotes’ Game 4 win over Nashville in the qualifying-round series.
“We’ve been talking about him all playoffs long,” Stepan said of Kuemper. “He’s been absolutely lights-out and in those moments when we need a key save he’s gotten every single one. We wouldn’t be in this position without him and obviously we need him to continue to do that.”
The Avalanche wouldn’t rest in the second period, and the Colorado power play eventually broke through when a shot from Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky caromed off a body and found its way past Kuemper.
Prior to the second-period equalizer, the Coyotes had failed to cash in on a few man-advantage opportunities of their own but still managed to enter the third period with a lead when Coyotes forward Brad Richardson ripped one over Francouz with 34 seconds left in the middle frame.
“It was good timing on that goal,” Richardson said. “Late in the third period and they got a fluky one when we were on the (penalty kill) so it was nice to get one going into the third. We haven’t led much of the series and we were able to kind of lock it down in the third.”
Richardson also scored the series-winner against the Nashville Predators when he converted in overtime in Game 4.
Coyotes forward Taylor Hall made it 3-1 with an empty-net goal in the final minutes, but Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen brought Colorado back within one goal in the final 60 seconds before Arizona’s Lawson Crouse scored another empty-netter to make it 4-2.
“They had the puck for a while there and you’re just looking for somebody to make a good play or a block in those situations,” Tocchet said of the final minutes. “It was a stress-reliever to get those empty nets. Even with 5 seconds left, I was still stressed. With that team … they’re a dangerous team and I’m proud of the way the guys hung in there.
“‘Kuemps’ again was the first star for us, but we’re going to have to tilt the ice a little bit on the other side if we’re going to get back in this thing.”
One-timer
— Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz missed his seventh consecutive game on Saturday and is still recovering from an injury suffered prior to the Nashville series. His status for the rest of the quarterfinals remains unclear.
Up next
Game 4: Avalanche at Coyotes, Monday, 2:30 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona.
Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at rmorin@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Darcy Kuemper, Brad Richardson lead Coyotes to Game 3 victory over Avalanche