Colorado Avalanche Rally Past Chicago Blackhawks 5-2

Colorado Avalanche 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2 at United Center

Just 57 seconds into the opening period, Wyatt Kaiser gave the Chicago Blackhawks the game’s first lead when his shot from the blue line hit off the stick of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and slid past goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood’s right skate. Colorado eventually rallied from that early two-goal deficit to secure a 5-2 victory against Chicago on Monday night at the United Center. Nazem Kadri and Jaden Schwartz each scored two goals to help the Avalanche snap a three-game losing streak away from Ball Arena.

The sluggish start for the visitors mirrored their previous three road losses. Following Kaiser’s fluky opening tally, Roman Kantserov finished a 2-on-1 breakaway at 7:05 of the first period to put Chicago ahead 2-0. Connor Bedard carried the puck into the offensive zone on the left side and fed Kantserov, who scored on a one-timer while dropping to one knee in the right face-off circle. Colorado coach Jared Bednar noted that his squad had a sleepy start and made a couple of early mistakes on breakouts and high offensive zone plays that Chicago capitalized on.

Colorado responded quickly as the game progressed. Kadri cut the deficit to 2-1 at 15:23 of the first period by diving into the crease to poke a loose puck over the goal line after Spencer Knight made the initial save on a sharp-angle shot from Gabe Landeskog. Later in the second period, the Avalanche claimed their first lead at 13:38 during a power play. Makar sent a wrist shot from the top of the offensive zone toward the net, where both Kadri and T.J. Hughes converged near the edge of the crease before Kadri tipped it in for his fourth goal of the season.

Schwartz adds second goal before second intermission

The visiting side continued to build momentum before the second intermission. Schwartz added his second goal of the night with just 10.6 seconds left in the middle frame. Sam Malinski launched a shot from the top of the zone that Schwartz deflected past Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight, marking Schwartz’s sixth goal of the year and extending the lead. T.J. Hughes also recorded his first multi-point game by picking up two assists in the contest.

Earlier in the second period, controversy surrounded an apparent Colorado goal at 13:22 when Martin Necas deflected a Devon Toews shot past Knight. The goal was immediately overturned following a Chicago coach’s challenge for goaltender interference against Landeskog. Landeskog argued that any contact with the goaltender was initiated by Chicago defenseman Alex Vlasic standing nearby. Despite the disallowed tally, the Avalanche responded on back-to-back shifts shortly thereafter to tie the game and seize control.

Victory halts three-game road skid for Avalanche

The victory halts a three-game road skid for the Avalanche and marks their third win overall. Colorado concludes this leg of their schedule before preparing for their next matchup on the calendar, while the Blackhawks look to recapture the consistency Bedard noted eludes them during stretches of play.

Blackwood stops twenty-one shots to secure road victory

How many saves did Mackenzie Blackwood make during the game?

Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 21 shots to help the Colorado Avalanche secure the road victory at the United Center.

What was the result of the second-period coach’s challenge?

The Chicago Blackhawks successfully challenged a goal by Martin Necas at 13:22 of the first period due to goaltender interference called against Gabe Landeskog, wiping the goal off the board.

How many goals has Nazem Kadri scored over his recent stretch?

Nazem Kadri has scored all four of his goals for the season during his last five games, including his two-goal performance against Chicago.

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