On the ice, it certainly didn't always look like the NHL's best team against its worst, by standings points and winning percentage. And in the end, it didn't play out that way on the scoreboard.
Nick Schmaltz scored with a backhand shot from close range at 5:27 of the final period, and the Coyotes held on for a 2-1 win over the team with the NHL's best record, the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday night at Gila River Arena.
The Coyotes (15-35-4) handed a team with 25 more wins then them a loss that ended the Avs' four-game winning streak.