DENVER – Milan Hejduk’s third-period goal capped a comeback from a three-goal deficit and the Colorado Avalanche found a team with more troubles in net than themselves in a 7-4 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night.

Hejduk took a perfect pass from Alex Tanguay through the crease and flipped it over Brian Boucher’s right shoulder to snap a 4-4 tie with 8:42 remaining, just as a 5-on-3 advantage was about to end.

The Avs, who entered the final period trailing 4-3, added two empty-netters in the final minute, one by Ian Laperriere and another by Karlis Skrastins.

They tied the game at 2:24 of the third period on a rebound goal by Marek Svatos, his 20th, off a wraparound attempt by Pierre Turgeon.

Neither of the starting goalies lasted through the first period.

Vitaliy Kolesnik got a quick hook after surrendering two goals on the only two shots he faced in the first 3:20, and Curtis Joseph got yanked after allowing three goals in four shots for Phoenix.

Kolesnik surrendered both of his goals to right wing Shane Doan, the first of which came off a terrific centering pass from left wing Ladislav Nagy just 31 seconds after the puck was dropped and the second off a wrist shot from the right point.

Doan broke out of a slump Friday night with a goal in a win over Dallas, his first since Nov. 25.

Zbynek Michalek’s slap shot past Peter Budaj off a drop pass from Mike Johnson made it 3-0 at the 8:29 mark, but goals by Joe Sakic and Rob Blake got Colorado back into it.

Sakic tied it at 3 with his 16th goal on an unusual play in which Tanguay passed to him from behind the net and the puck ricocheted off his left leg and into the net. After a review confirmed the goal, the Coyotes pulled Joseph and replaced him with Boucher.

In the second period, the Avs survived a 5-on-3 disadvantage but seconds after killing both power plays they allowed the Coyotes to go ahead 4-3 when Geoff Sanderson scored off Patrice Brisebois’s turnover in the neutral zone.

The Avs have had problems in goal all season. David Aeibischer was the starter two months ago but is usually a scratch nowadays, as he was Monday night, and Kolesnik and Budaj haven’t faired much better in his place.

The Coyotes fell to 2-3-0 under interim coach Rick Tocchet. He took over Dec. 17 when Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s career scoring leader, put his coaching career on hold after his mother’s health worsened. She died of lung cancer two days later in Brantford, Ontario.

Notes: The Coyotes haven’t said when Gretzky will return. He’s also executive director of Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team and will resume his duties with the team in January, Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said. … The goals by Michalek and Sakic in the first period came in a 4-on-4 skate.

AP-ES-12-26-05 2349EST