PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Just 10 minutes away from his first NHL shutout, rookie goaltender Philippe Sauve could not even escape with a victory.
Brian Savage and Ladislav Nagy scored third-period goals and Branko Radivojevic tallied 1:51 into overtime as the Phoenix Coyotes notched their second win in 12 games, a 3-2 triumph over the Colorado Avalanche.
Making just the fourth start of his career and first since beating Phoenix for his first win on November 6, Sauve was staked to a 2-0 lead on goals by Joe Sakic and defenseman Rob Blake. But after stopping the first 14 shots he faced, a mixup with defenseman Chris McAllister behind his own net cost him the shutout.
After a miscommunication between the Colorado teammates, Daymond Langkow gathered a loose puck and fed Savage, who lifted it over a sliding Sauve from the left side at 9:38, cutting the Coyotes' deficit in half.
"A little mistake there, a little lack of communication and it was that type of game," Sauve said.
"That one play, we were able to take advantage of the miscue and that gave us momentum," Phoenix coach Bob Francis said.
Less than three minutes later, Nagy wristed a shot from above the right faceoff circle that got by Sauve for his fourth goal in three games.
"He is a goal-scorer," Radivojevic said of Nagy. "It was only a matter of time until he was going to break and hopefully, he can keep it up all season like this."
Nagy also was instrumental in the game-winner, picking up the puck in the slot and passing back to defenseman Cale Hulse, who unleashed a slap shot from the top of the right circle.
The puck never made it through to Sauve, but Radivojevic backhanded it past the goalie from the doorstep to snap Phoenix's five-game winless streak against the Avalanche.
"Nagy made a great play, then Branko paid the price and it paid off for him," Francis said.
"We played really bad in the first (period) and we were a little better in the second," Radivojevic added. "In the third, we said we have to start winning now, and I think this is going to be the game that turns this team around."
The loss was Colorado's first in six games this season when leading after two periods and ended a five-game unbeaten streak.
"Especially on the road, you are always happy to have the lead going into the third," said Colorado's Alex Tanguay, whose assist raised his league-leading points total to 24. "We just sat back and waited. ... When you have the lead like this in the third, you have to make sure you take advantage of it."
Sakic gave the Avalanche the lead with 2:10 left in the first, beating Sean Burke to the stick side with a shot from the right circle. Blake made it 2-0 on the power play at 5:52 of the second with a rising slap shot from the left point.
Avalanche star left wing Paul Kariya returned after missing 10 games with a sprained wrist. But Colorado was without Hart Trophy winner Peter Forsberg, who sat out his second straight game with a groin injury.
