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PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Coyotes don't get discouraged any more when they fall behind, even against the Colorado Avalanche.

	Johnson

Mike Johnson scored the tying goal as the Coyotes rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to tie the Avalanche 4-4 Sunday night.

"We talked in the third period that we had gotten down, but you have to believe you can come back,'' Johnson said. "Even when they scored the fourth goal, we kept pushing. If there is such a thing as a good tie, I guess that would be it.''

The first time the teams met, Colorado came from two goals down to beat the Coyotes 3-2 on Oct. 22.

Coyotes goalie Brian Boucher had five of his 24 saves in overtime, when the Avalanche played the first 1:43 with a man advantage that carried over from Claude Lemieux's tripping penalty late in the third.

"In situations like this earlier this year we just kind of laid down and let teams finish us off,'' Boucher said.

He sprawled to his right and used his stick to bat away a backhander by Radim Vrbata, coming in on a breakaway with about 1:40 left in overtime.

"Boucher made some big saves for us when the game was on the line,'' coach Bob Francis said.

Patrick Roy had 27 saves for Colorado, which improved to 5-1-2-2 on the road, but was unhappy about the defensive play in his end.

"If we are going to play a run-and-gun game like we are right now, it is OK, but it is hard for me to make a difference in the game,'' Roy said. "It's going to be up to our stars to make the difference for us.

"If we're going to win the 5-4 games, then we're going to have to score the big goal. I could live with that. (But) I'm not pleased. I don't think that's the way we're going to win the Stanley Cup, if we have a chance."

Joe Sakic scored his NHL-best 12th goal, Milan Hejduk had two power-play goals and an assist, and Serge Aubin scored for the Avalanche.

Phoenix, just 2-4-1 at home, got two goals and an assist from Ladislav Nagy. Deron Quint scored the first goal.

Johnson, who had two assists, scored with 7:05 left in regulation. He took a centering pass from Daniel Briere, on the boards behind the net, and chipped it into the top corner. Through two periods, the game was a virtual replay of Colorado's previous win in Phoenix, when the Avalanche fell behind 2-0 before coming back to win on Mike Keane's third-period goal.

This time, they scored three unanswered goals in the second period, going up 3-2 on Hejduk's second goal and ninth of the season with 11 seconds left in the period.

Sakic turned up the pressure by scoring on a rebound 1:13 into the third, but the Coyotes responded quickly.

Nagy cut the deficit to 4-3 when he flipped the puck over a sprawling Roy 3:04 in.

"You can't protect a lead sitting on your heels and waiting for the other team to come at you,'' Avalanche coach Bob Hartley said. "We're a much better hockey club than this. We made some mistakes, and they made us pay for it.''

Quint got a billiards-style goal on a slap shot from the point to open scoring with 9:04 left in the first.

The puck hit the post high on Roy's stick side and bounced off his right foot before sliding in for Quint's first goal of the season.

The Coyotes went up 2-0 when Nagy scored on a wrister from the circle 1:59 into the second period. But the goal was negated when Nagy took an obstruction penalty minutes later, and Hejduk scored on the ensuing power play 5:35 in.

Aubin tied it with 4:55 left in the second, firing a wrist shot past a screened Boucher, setting the stage for Hejduk's dramatic period-ender.

Game notes

Hejduk had an assist and the tying goal in the teams' first meeting. ... Roy is 23-8-4 against the Coyotes. ... Quint signed as a free agent on Oct. 26 after spending two seasons with Columbus. ... Lemieux played despite concerns after he was hit on the left foot by the puck Friday against Atlanta.