DENVER – Jason LaBarbera made 34 saves for his second shutout of the season and Taylor Pyatt scored twice as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 on Thursday night.
The Coyotes were without goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who missed the game because of a family medical issue.
LaBarbera filled in and clamped down on the NHL's fourth-highest scoring team for his second shutout in three starts. He blanked the Dallas Stars on Dec. 26, turning back 30 shots.
Colorado pulled goalie Craig Anderson with just over a minute remaining, leading to Pyatt's empty-net goal with 19.2 seconds left to seal the win in front of a sparse crowd.
The Avalanche are 0-13-2 when they score two goals or fewer this season.
The Coyotes said on their website that Bryzgalov is expected to be back with the team on Friday for practice. Bryzgalov is 14-8-6 with a 2.62 goals-against average this season.
LaBarbera was tough throughout, especially in the final minutes when he pushed aside a shot from Philippe Dupuis and another drive from the blue line.
He also was bailed out by his teammates during a mad scramble in front late in the game when defenseman Derek Morris finally reached into the scrum and knocked the puck into the corner.
Coyotes captain Shane Doan assisted on Pyatt's second goal, extending his point streak to eight games.
Anderson and LaBarbera traded big saves in a scoreless second period.
Scottie Upshall nearly put one in as he came around the net and fired a shot on Anderson, who knocked it down and quickly pounced on the puck.
LaBarbera thwarted two chances early in the period. He stopped Milan Hejduk's shot as he broke in from the side, and then deflected a point-blank attempt from Matt Duchene.
The Avalanche had the only power play through two periods, but came up empty. That's been a recent trend for Colorado, 3 for 28 with a man advantage over the last eight games.
Pyatt made it 1-0 when he sent a backhander off a rebound over Anderson's glove midway through the first. It was Pyatt's first goal since his return late last month from an upper body injury, which kept him out of four games.
Colorado forward Chris Stewart might be nearing a return from a broken hand as he participated in drills with teammates at the morning skate on Thursday. Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said there is still no timetable for his return.
Stewart, one of the team's top scorers, broke his left hand in a fight with Minnesota's Kyle Brodziak on Nov. 27 and was expected to be out four-to-six weeks.
Sacco also said that Kyle Cumiskey has been cleared to practice with the team. The defenseman has missed 30 games because of a concussion.
NOTES: Avalanche F Tomas Fleischmann played in his 300th NHL game. ... The Coyotes recalled G Matt Climie from San Antonio of the AHL to serve as LaBarbera's backup. ... Avs F Cody McLeod has been sidelined for eight of nine games with a groin injury. ... Colorado F Paul Stastny was in the lineup after missing a game with flulike symptoms. ... There were only two penalties, one for each side.
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