Jason LaBarbera yielded three goals on 35 shots as the Phoenix Coyotes dropped a 3-2 decision to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. It wasn't a terrible night between the pipes, but in his five starts since Mike Smith went down with a strained groin, the new No. 1 has only one win. Granted, he's posted plus-.900 save percentages in three of those starts. Phoenix has to be crossing its fingers that the solid backup isn't exposed with such a heavy workload. After all, Curtis McElhinney, a journey-man type whom they recalled Dec. 26, doesn't exactly elicit the most confidence.