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Kadri and Schwartz Power Avalanche Past Chicago as Blackwood Shines
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- Kadri and Schwartz Power Avalanche Past Chicago as Blackwood Shines
The Colorado Avalanche found themselves in an early hole at the United Center, but they had no intention of staying there.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Colorado erupted for five unanswered goals, getting multi-goal performances from Nazem Kadri and Jaden Schwartz before putting the finishing touches on a 5-2 road victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
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The win gives the Avalanche their third straight victory and their first three-game winning streak of the season, improving their record to 9-5-1.
Nazem Kadri and Jaden Schwartz led the way offensively with two goals apiece, while Devon Toews chipped in a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to five games. T.J. Hughes also contributed two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 21 shots to earn the win. Colorado's penalty kill was perfect on the night, successfully killing off all four of Chicago's power plays.
The game also featured some added physicality after Artyom Levshunov caught Cale Makar with an elbow. Gabriel Landeskog made sure the incident didn't go unnoticed, repeatedly targeting Levshunov throughout the remainder of the game. One particularly memorable sequence saw Levshunov jump in an attempt to bring down a loose puck, but Landeskog skated under him and ended up flipping him on his backside.
Gabe Landeskog gets revenge for the elbow on Makar. Credit: Altitude
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Blackwood, meanwhile, continues to deliver between the pipes. Over his last six games, he's posted a 6-1 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. He's been a steady presence in net and is giving Colorado exactly the kind of goaltending it needs.
For Chicago, Roman Kantserov and Wyatt Kaiser accounted for the Blackhawks' two goals, while Spencer Knight finished with 24 saves.
First Period
It was an unfortunate start for Colorado, as Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was credited with a goal after his point shot deflected off Cale Makar and past Mackenzie Blackwood, who couldn't track the puck in time.
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The Avalanche had a chance to respond after Ethan Del Mastro was called for interference, but they failed to capitalize on the power play. Their road struggles continued at the 7:05 mark when a costly turnover by Nazem Kadri led to a 2-on-1 rush. Connor Bedard fed Roman Kantserov for a one-timer over Blackwood's glove to make it 2-0.
Past the halfway point of the period, Brock Nelson was called for high-sticking after accidentally catching Ryan Donato with the blade of his stick while attempting to change lines.
Colorado appeared to get on the board with 6:38 remaining when Nathan MacKinnon set up Devon Toews for a one-timer that Martin Necas redirected past Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight. Chicago challenged for goaltender interference, however, and officials in Toronto overturned the goal, ruling that Gabe Landeskog interfered with Knight.
The Avalanche eventually got one that counted. Kadri pounced on a rebound that Knight couldn't cover, diving forward to poke the loose puck across the goal line and cut Chicago's lead to 2-1.
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Just 26 seconds later, Colorado had its equalizer. Jaden Schwartz finished off a beautiful pass from T.J. Hughes with a one-timer past Knight to pull the Avalanche even at 2-2.
Things got chippy shortly after when Artyom Shumenov caught Cale Makar in the face with an elbow. Martin Necas stepped in to defend his teammate, dropping the gloves with Shumenov. Both received roughing penalties, while Shumenov was also assessed a four-minute penalty for the hit. Colorado couldn't capitalize on the ensuing power play.
The Avalanche outshot Chicago 14-4 in the opening 20 minutes, carrying plenty of momentum into the second after erasing the early two-goal deficit.
Second Period
Colorado found itself shorthanded early after Kadri cross-checked Ryan Greene from behind while the two battled for a loose puck. With just three seconds remaining on the penalty kill, Oliver Moore was called for tripping T.J. Hughes, giving the Avalanche a brief power-play opportunity. Colorado couldn't convert, marking its third unsuccessful man advantage of the night.
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Blackwood continued to come up big at the other end, making a spectacular split save to rob Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard. The stop sent Bedard tumbling over Blackwood's left pad and into the net.
After coming up empty on their fourth power play, the Avalanche finally made their fifth count. Kadri redirected a blast from Makar past Knight for his second goal of the night and fourth of the season, putting Colorado in front 3-2.
The Avalanche also managed to kill off a late cross-checking penalty to Noah Juulsen. Knight kept Chicago within striking distance moments later, denying Nathan MacKinnon on a beautiful backhand.
But Colorado had one more punch to deliver before the intermission. With just 10.6 seconds remaining, Sam Malinski fired a wrist shot from the point, and Schwartz got just enough of his stick on it to redirect the puck across the goal line. His second goal of the night gave the Avalanche some much-needed breathing room and a 4-2 lead heading into the third period.
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Third Period
Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane left the game in the second period and was absent from the bench to start the third. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the night with what appeared to be a lower-body issue.
The Avalanche caught a fortunate break on what could only be described as a double doink. Frank Nazar rang the puck off both posts, sparing Mackenzie Blackwood from potentially giving up a goal.
Brock Nelson was sent to the penalty box at 8:02 for tripping Nazar, but Colorado once again came through on the penalty kill. The Avalanche successfully killed off the infraction, improving to a perfect 4-for-4 on the night in a much-needed response from a unit that had struggled in recent games.
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Chicago pulled Knight for the extra attacker with under three minutes remaining, hoping to make one final push. Instead, Devon Toews put the game out of reach, finding the empty net to seal a 5-2 Avalanche victory.
Colorado leaves Chicago with three consecutive wins, a season-best winning streak and plenty of positives to build on. Kadri and Schwartz supplied the offense, Blackwood came up with several important stops, and the penalty kill delivered a strong performance. After an opening period that threatened to put them in a difficult position, the Avalanche took control and never looked back.
Next Game
The Avalanche have no time to rest — literally. Colorado is right back at it Tuesday for the second half of a back-to-back, heading to Columbus for a highly anticipated matchup against old friend Valeri Nichushkin at Nationwide Arena. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. local time.
