The Arizona Coyotes are apparently most dangerous when facing a 3-0 deficit.
The Coyotes became the eighth team in NHL history to win consecutive games after trailing by at least three goals with a pair of 4-3 victories against Anaheim earlier this week, the latter coming Wednesday in a shootout.
"It's one of those things where you never stop believing, but we can't have a steady dose of this," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.
The Coyotes will look to win in a more conventional way when they play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist as Arizona rallied with three goals in the final 9:55 of regulation in the finale of the two-game series against the Ducks. Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two assists to break Keith Yandle's career record of 246 by a Coyotes defenseman and Christian Dvorak scored the winner in the shootout.
"We got some good breaks, a couple of good bounces," said Kessel, who has six points (three goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak. "We never thought we were out of it. You get one and momentum seems to be on your side."
Goaltender Adin Hill got the victory in his season debut, stopping all 14 shots he faced after replacing an injured Darcy Kuemper early in the third period. Tocchet said Kuemper, who suffered a lower-body injury, is fine.
"It's exciting to know your team can turn around a game like that, that you're never out of it," Hill said. "That's two games in a row, down 3-0, and these guys came back and found a way to get two points. That's huge."
On Monday, Dvorak scored a short-handed goal in the second period to start the comeback from 3-0 down and capped it with a power-play goal early in the third.
While the Coyotes have had two straight unlikely victories, the Avalanche have lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
They dropped a 6-2 decision at home Wednesday to Minnesota after being blanked 3-0 by Vegas on Monday.
"A bit of adversity, I think, is good for us as a group and it's going to be good for us long term," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "Good teams find a way to turn things around pretty quickly, and I have no doubt we'll do that."
Nazem Kadri and J.T. Compher scored for Colorado but goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped just 19 of the 24 shots he faced.
"We didn't get some of the saves we've been getting from him, but I didn't hate his game," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of Grubauer. "You look at his game, generally he's going to have one or two of those goals, not that they were weak goals by any means.
"I'd put it on the breakdowns of our team. Those are easy goals that we're handing out, scoring chances that we're handing out."
This will be the opener of a four-game trip for the Avalanche, who also play the Coyotes on Saturday.
--Field Level Media
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