National Hockey League
Arizona 1, Colorado 0
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, March 13, 2017
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Mike Leggo, Evgeny Romasko
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Ryan Gibbons
Attendance: 11521

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Mike Smith was not aware he was within striking distance of the Coyotes' franchise shutout record when the season began. On Monday, he took sole possession of it.

Brendan Perlini scored his 13th goal of the season and Smith made 22 saves to record his franchise-record 22nd shutout as the Arizona Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 on Monday at Gila River Arena.

Smith passed Nikolai Khabibulin and Ilya Bryzgalov with his third shutout of the season to guide the Coyotes (25-35-8) to their second consecutive win.

Colorado goalie Calvin Pickard made 34 saves, including two third-period breakaway stops on Max Domi and a glove save on Tobias Rieder. However, the Avalanche lost for the sixth time in their past eight games (2-6-0).

Colorado (19-46-3) has been shut out an NHL-high 12 times this season, 24.5 percent of its losses.

"They got some chances there in the third but overall I think our team did a really good job to close it out," said Smith, who is also third overall in franchise wins with 127. "We carried the play for the second and third periods."

Perlini put his team on top with his third goal in three games. Center Peter Holland sent a cross-ice feed onto Perlini's stick, and the left winger beat Pickard with a wrist shot inside the far post at 3:49 of the second period.

Perlini, who started the season with Tucson of the American Hockey League, where he scored 14 goals in 17 games, is averaging .302 goals per game, the fourth best average among rookies behind Winnipeg's Patrik Laine, Toronto's Auston Matthews and Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel.

"At the start of the year, I was always worried about who I was facing," said Perlini, who has battled the flu for the last week and a half. "Now I don't care. Put whoever you want to against me and I'm going to try to beat them. It's more of an attitude that comes with confidence."

Pickard kept his team in the game with a spectacular glove save on Rieder at 5:34 of the second period. Perlini sent a perfect saucer pass from the left wing to Rieder at the right post off the rush. Rieder got all of his shot, but Pickard moved post to post to stop it, leaving Rieder shaking his head.

"Pick was really good for us," Avs coach Jared Bednar said. "We started turning the puck over and feeding into their speed and they created some chances. Pick was equal to the task."

Pickard stopped Domi with his glove on one third-period breakaway and Domi hit the post on another.

"It was right there for us but you've got to give them credit," Pickard said. "They played a great game."

Coyotes captain Shane Doan was injured in pregame warmups when he collided with defenseman Jakob Chychrun in the neutral zone. Doan had just passed teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson and turned to try to poke a puck away from Ekman-Larsson, so he did not see Chychrun coming. Doan's head snapped back with the impact, and both went to the ice. Chychrun stayed down while Doan got up and skated gingerly to the bench.

When the teams came back out for the national anthem, Chychrun was there but Doan did not join the Coyotes. He was going through the league's concussion protocol, but he later emerged and took his regular shift late in the first period.

"I haven't been hit that hard in a long, long time," Doan said, laughing. "I got the wind knocked out of me and that doesn't feel very good but that was about the extent of it."

NOTES: Coyotes C Alex Burmistrov (concussion) skated before the Monday morning skate, but coach Dave Tippett said he is not close to returning. "He's pretty ginger," Tippett said. ... Arizona C Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) still has not taken part in a full practice with less than four weeks to go in the season. He has resumed skating after a couple days off for treatment, but the Coyotes still have not set a timetable for his return. ... The Avalanche recalled D Anton Lindholm from San Antonio of the AHL. He will join the team in Denver on Tuesday. ... Avs C Matt Duchene was back on the top line between LW Gabriel Landeskog and RW Mikko Rantanen after a demotion to the third line on Saturday against Ottawa. ... Coyotes D Kevin Connauton (upper body) missed his fifth game in a row. He is still listed as day-to-day.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Arizona
N/A Points Brendan Perlini 1
N/A Goals Brendan Perlini 1
N/A Assists Peter Holland 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Calvin Pickard .971 Save Percentage Mike Smith 1.000
Calvin Pickard 34 Saves Mike Smith 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Colorado 22 0 0-3 2-2 4 30
Arizona 35 1 0-2 3-3 6 34
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .360 after a win and .372 after a loss.
  • Colorado will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .292 after a loss.