Cale Makar scores twice as Avalanche break through against Blackhawks

Cale Makar scored twice, Gavin Brindley also had a goal, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 in Denver on Saturday night.

Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 14 shots and Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas had two assists each for Colorado, which bounced back from a disappointing home loss to Minnesota on Thursday night. The Avalanche have an NHL-best 87 points.

Connor Bedard scored and Spencer Knight made 32 saves for Chicago, which has lost eight of its last nine. The Blackhawks are averaging just 1.5 goals in those eight losses.

Chicago generated several scoring chances early in the third, including a Bedard slapshot on a power play that Blackwood stopped with a glove save, but the Avalanche got the go-ahead goal at 7:31.

Brindley, on just his fourth shift of the game, cleaned up Sam Malinski's rebound and roofed a shot over Knight to give Colorado the lead.

Knight came off for an extra skater with 2:05 left and Makar sealed it with an empty-netter at 18:33

The Blackhawks nearly scored 35 seconds in when Blackwood got a glove on Jason Dickinson's shot on a breakaway and it went off the crossbar.

Chicago did take a 1-0 lead on a power play later in the first period. Tyler Bertuzzi fed Bedard as he skated to the right circle, and the 20-year-old beat Blackwood with a shot high to the glove side at 6:31.

Chicago didn't generate a lot of shots after Bedard's goal, finishing the first period with four and not recording one in the second period until 8:39 into the frame. Knight kept the Blackhawks in the lead with some key saves before the Avalanche finally broke through at the end of their fourth power play.

As Oliver Moore's tripping penalty expired, Necas sent the puck to MacKinnon in the corner as Makar drifted into the right circle. MacKinnon fed him with a saucer pass, and Makar's wrister beat Knight inside the far post with 8.3 seconds left in the second period.

--Field Level Media