A full-strength version of the Colorado Avalanche might be able to overcome a bad start and a night full of offensive struggles.
This version doesn’t have the same margin of error, even against what’s expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL. Chicago scored three times on 12 shots in the first period on Monday night at Ball Arena en route to defeating the Avs, 5-2, and ending their five-game winning streak.
Colorado is now 5-5 to start the season. It’s been a mixed bag, and Ross Colton — the team’s leading goal scorer with eight — didn’t play in the third period. He joined a long list of forwards who aren’t available, but this is the second loss on home ice to a team expected to be among the 3-5 worst in the league this season.
Philipp Kurashev gave Chicago an early lead with a shot from the left point on the power play at 8:47 of the first.
Casey Mittelstadt continued his excellent start to the year with a goal 89 seconds later. Logan O’Connor had the puck on the right side and found Mittelstadt as the trailer on the rush for his sixth goal of the season. Mittelstadt also has 13 points. He began the day fourth on the Avs but tied for 11th in the NHL in scoring.
Lukas Reichel put Chicago back in front 48 seconds later. He won a faceoff to the left of Alexandar Georgiev, then deflected Craig Smith’s shot. The original shot was headed for the top-left corner, but Reichel’s deflection redirected it through the goaltender’s legs.
Ryan Donato made it a 3-1 lead with a second straight goal against Colorado’s top line and defense pairing. The Avs struggled to get the puck out of their own zone, and it ended up costing them. Mikko Rantanen blocked the first shot, but it went to Jason Dickinson in the right circle. Donato pounced on the rebound of Dickinson’s shot in part because Cale Makar had lost his stick and couldn’t tie up the Chicago forward in front of the net.
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Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
