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Avs left howling

Quenneville angry at overtime noncall in loss to Coyotes

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 5, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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The Avalanche's Brad Richardson, right, controls the puck during a breakaway against the Phoenix Coyotes in the third period Monday night at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche let a 3-2 lead slip away and lost 4-3 in overtime.

Photo by Dennis Schroeder / The Rocky

The Avalanche's Brad Richardson, right, controls the puck during a breakaway against the Phoenix Coyotes in the third period Monday night at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche let a 3-2 lead slip away and lost 4-3 in overtime.

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A disputed goal, a botched faceoff and a terrible turnover were more than enough for Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville to see red.

His complexion was pretty colorful, too, after the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime loss Monday night to the Phoenix Coyotes at the Pepsi Center.

Former Avalanche forward Radim Vrbata scored the tying goal with 3:11 left in regulation and was credited with the winning goal with 1:37 to play in the extra period during a pileup in the crease.

Quenneville was livid referee Chris Rooney let the decisive goal stand, arguing Rooney intended to blow the play dead before the puck crossed the goal line and Coyotes forward Shane Doan could have been assessed an interference penalty for bowling over goalie Peter Budaj.

"I disagree with the call," Quenneville said. "Your intention is to blow the whistle . . . you don't blow the whistle because the puck went over the goal line. His intention was to blow the puck dead before the puck went in, plus the guy (Doan) jumps on the goalie - interference. It was a ridiculous noncall, and I'm upset."

The play started when Vrbata took a shot that Budaj stopped before a scrum ensued in front of the net. No one seemed certain which player knocked the puck in or how he did it.

"I don't know when the puck went in," Budaj said. "I don't even know how the whole situation happened. Vrbata made a shot and I made the save. (Doan) pushed me and I don't know what happened after. You've got to ask the referee."

Avalanche assistant captain Andrew Brunette did ask, and he relayed the explanation to Quenneville - not that it satisfied him.

"(Rooney) said he blew the whistle after the puck crossed the goal line, but you can clearly say that he was blowing the whistle way before the puck went in," Quenneville said. "I've been (told) a hundred times where your intention was to blow the whistle. We've been victimized the other way more than once.

"You could argue that the whistle went before the puck crossed the goal line, too. You could look at the tape a hundred times and you could say the whistle blew before or after it crossed the goal line. That was as tight as could be."

The Avalanche appeared to be in good shape when rookie T.J. Hensick broke a 2-2 tie with his second power-play goal of the game at 9:52 of the third period.

Only the goal didn't become official until nearly two minutes later after a video review confirmed the puck crossed the goal line. It took that long because play continued and a review couldn't be requested until play stopped.

"Originally, I think we all stopped for a second because we all thought it crossed the line," Hensick said. "I was pretty sure and confident that it did. It was a long wait, but it put us up 3-2. We just couldn't hold the lead there, late in the third."

The Coyotes tied the score shortly after Vrbata took advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone, raced into the Avalanche end and fired a shot wide of the net. Budaj eventually smothered the puck, resulting in a faceoff in the left circle.

Tyler Arnason was ready to take the draw with Coyotes center Steven Reinprecht - another former Avalanche forward - but was kicked out and replaced by Marek Svatos, who rarely takes faceoffs.

"The guy (Reinprecht) is always cheating every time and I was chirping and I think the ref was getting fed up with it and he kicked me out right away," Arnason said.

"It was kind of brutal, but what are you going to do?"

Reinprecht won the draw, skated toward the net and passed across to Vrbata, who was left unchecked and easily tapped the puck into the net.

"There was a turnover in the neutral zone, and it upset me," Quenneville said. "We lose the draw, (Arnason) gets kicked out. We have to be more responsible for the guy going (to the net)."

Ian Laperriere tied the score 2-2 for the Avalanche at 14:49 of the second period with his fourth goal of the season and first in 23 games, since he scored the winner Dec. 13 at Nashville.

Laperriere skated down the middle to convert a pass by Brad Richardson, chipping the puck by goalie Mikael Tellqvist's right arm.

Hensick gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 17:48 of the first period, but the Coyotes responded with goals from Peter Mueller during a five-on-three skating advantage and from Daniel Winnik.

Coyotes 4, Avalanche 3, OT

Phoenix1 1 1 1 - 4

Colorado1 1 1 0 - 3

First period - 1, Col, Hensick 4 (Arnason, Liles), 17:48 (pp). 2, Pho, Mueller 16 (Jovanovski, Doan), 19:01 (pp). Penalties - Boynton, Pho (high-sticking), 17:10; Richardson, Col, (slashing), 18:03; Clark, Col, (cross-checking), 18:26.

Second period - 3, Pho, Winnik 6 (Murley, Kapanen), 5:04. 4, Col, Laperriere 4 (Richardson), 14:49. Penalties - Boynton, Pho (tripping), 5:18; Boynton, Pho (interference), 16:59; Arnason, Col, (tripping), 17:31.

Third period - 5, Col, Hensick 5 (Hlinka, Arnason), 9:52 (pp). 6, Pho, Vrbata 23 (Reinprecht), 16:49. Penalties - Richardson, Col, (slashing), 7:13; Tjarnqvist, Pho (slashing), 9:21.

Overtime - 7, Pho, Vrbata 24 (Doan, Michalek), 3:23. Penalties - None.

Shots - Pho 17-9-6-1 - 33. Col 12-11-11-2 - 36. Power plays - Pho 1 of 4; Col 2 of 4. Goalies - Pho, Tellqvist 7-4-0 (36 shots-33 saves). Col, Budaj 15-9-3 (33-29). A - 14,381 (18,007). T - 2:35. Referees - Eric Furlatt, Chris Rooney. Linesmen - Brad Lazarowich, Mark Wheler.

sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com

Comments

  • February 5, 2008

    7:46 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Patriot writes:

    The Av's have got to make a move before the deadline, if they wait for Sakic and Symth to return it will be too late. There are moves to be made, it's time to pull the trigger.

  • February 5, 2008

    1:24 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    pcordoba writes:

    Only losers blame the referee. Please, fire Q.