CHICAGO — The Colorado Avalanche snapped their two-game losing streak on Wednesday night by squeaking by the Chicago Blackhawks. It would take some free hockey and a shootout to figure out the winner. But the Avalanche pushed through to victory in the last half of the game. Colorado walked away with a 3–2 shootout win, but not without a cost to the roster.

First Period

The Avalanche started the game hot and tried to start strongly to avoid what happened in their last game. Just over three minutes into the period, Valeri Nichushkin carried the puck across the blue line. Sam Malinski’s shot beat Spencer Knight, but officials reviewed the goal and reversed it. Malinski had crossed the line about a foot ahead of the puck.

First period’s closing moments saw the Avalanche’s first power play. Nathan MacKinnon snapped a shot from the right point, but with no luck. The rebound bounced out to open ice for Ilya Mikheyev to take off down the near side and beat Cale Makar. It was just the sixth shorthanded goal that the Avs have allowed all season.

Second Period

The second period continued to roll in the Blackhawks’ favor. The Hawks would head to the penalty box just under five minutes into the period. Unfortunately, the Avs failed to put anything together or any sustained pressure in their zone. Throughout the game, the Hawks had been on top of the Avs and cutting off a lot of their passes.


Eight minutes into the period, The Avalanche tried to exit their zone, but the Hawks were right on top of them. The puck got pushed down to behind the net where Connor Bedard stole the puck. Bedard stepped to the left of the net and sent a pass to Connor Murphy for a one timer. The shot whizzed right past Scott Wedgewood for the Hawks 2–0 lead. Colorado would have another chance on the power play and failed to convert on the chance.

Third Period

The third period started with the Hawks completely in control of the game. They were cutting everything off, making the zone exits difficult for the Avalanche. it would not be until halfway through the period that tide changed in the favor of Colorado. Devon Toews kept the puck in the zone, dumping in deep. MacKinnon picked up the loose puck to the right of the net as Makar pinched down. MacKinnon centered it for Makar as he easily wristed a shot past Knight to make it 2–1 in favor of the Hawks.

The Avalanche pulled Wedgewood for extra skater with just under five minutes left. The Avs wore the Hawks down for a few minutes. With just nine seconds left, Makar snapped a shot from the point for Martin Necas to redirect the shot and tie it up.

Overtime/Shootout

The overtime period would accomplish nothing on either side of the bench. Bedard saw a good chance just in front of the Avalanche net with no luck. The shootout is where it got exciting. The first three shooters would fail to make their shot, one for the Hawks and two for the Avs. MacKinnon slipped a beauty of a shot past Knight with Teuvo Teravainen answering right back. Artturi Lehkonen sent a missile to the back of the net and sealed the 3–2 victory for the Avalanche.

Observations from the Mountaintop

The Avalanche played another lackluster game as Chicago beat them in every aspect on the ice. Colorado had shooting difficulties and did not take the lead in shots until seven minutes left in regulation. In the first period, they lost Jonathon Drouin to a lower-body injury and do not know if he can play on Thursday. Late in the third, Colorado thought they may have lost Necas as he slid into the rear of Hawks’ player and they sat on his head. The Avalanche did not convert on any of their four power play chances either. Had they done so, they would not have been in the high-pressure situation in the end.

Next Game

The Avalanche will be right back at it on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Thhe game will be available on ESPN+ and Altitdude Sports starting at 5:30 p.m. MT.