Blue Jackets spoil Avs' celebration in high-scoring affair

Kirill Marchenko scored a tiebreaking goal early in the second period and added two assists, Yegor Chinakhov also had a goal and two assists, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-4 in Denver on Saturday night.

Sean Monahan also had a goal and two assists, Adam Fantilli, Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson also scored, and Daniil Tarasov turned away 26 shots for Columbus.

Before the start of the game, the Avalanche honored Nathan MacKinnon for being named MVP last season. After showing a highlight video on the scoreboard, Denver Nuggets center and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic brought the Hart Trophy to center ice and placed it on a podium.

MacKinnon and Ross Colton had a goal and an assist each, Miles Wood and Casey Mittelstadt also had goals and Cale Makar added two assists for Colorado.

Alexandar Georgiev allowed three goals on nine shots before being replaced by Justus Annunen, who made 11 saves.

The Blue Jackets struck first when Chinakhov fed Werenski at 6:38 of the first, his second goal of the season. Johnson made it 2-0 just 1:07 later when he beat Georgiev with a sharp-angle shot for his second goal of the season.

MacKinnon cut the deficit in half when he scored a power-play goal off a rebound with eight seconds left in the first period, his first of the season.

Fantilli beat Georgiev at 1:56 into the second period for his first of the season, prompting the Avs to pull Georgiev in favor of Annunen.

Wood got the Avalanche back within a goal when he scored on a rebound at 2:11 of the second, his first, and Mittelstadt tied it on a power play at 3:42. It was his second of the season.

Marchenko answered right away with his first of the season at 4:33 to give Columbus a 4-3 lead and Chinakhov made it a two-goal game with his first of the season at 9:49 of the second.

Annunen went off for an extra skater and Colton scored at 18:40 but Monahan scored into an empty net to seal it.

--Field Level Media