Avalanche exorcise overtime demons with 5-4 win

Curse begone! 

Gavin Brindley scored in overtime and the Colorado Avalanche eradicated their five consecutive overtime loss streak with a 5-4 win Sunday night at Rogers Arena.  

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Nathan MacKinnon led the way with a five-point night, scoring twice—including a power-play marker—and adding three assists. He finished the weekend with nine points after posting a two-goal, two-assist performance in Colorado’s 9–1 win over the Oilers on Saturday. He now leads the NHL in goals (14) and points (29). But he was far from the only Avalanche player who shined. 

Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, including a power-play goal, to help propel Colorado to the win. Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin also chipped in with two assists each. Mackenzie Blackwood made 29 saves in his second start of the year. 

For Vancouver, they saw goals from Linus Karlsson, Kiefer Sherwood, Jake DeBrusk, and Drew O’Connor. Kevin Lankinen stopped 27 shots. 

First Period 

At 6:41 of the period, Makar glided through the neutral zone and into the right circle before slipping the puck to Nichushkin. Nichushkin deftly sold the shot, toe-dragging the puck across the slot and freezing the defense just long enough for MacKinnon to step into a one-timer, hammering it into an open net as Lankinen was completely fooled to give Colorado a 1–0 lead. 

Moments later, after Ross Colton drew a slashing penalty, the Avalanche struck again on the power play. Victor Olofsson left a drop pass for MacKinnon in the slot—sloppy, perhaps, but serviceable—and MacKinnon, in true professional form, corralled the puck and fired it anyway, beating the goaltender for his second goal of the game. 

Vancouver broke through at 11:47 of the period when Linus Karlsson punched in a rebound past a sprawling Blackwood. Filip Hronek fired a shot from the point through traffic, the puck kicking off Blackwood’s pads before a brief stick battle with Devon Toews unfolded on the left side of the crease. Karlsson’s second backhand attempt finally found daylight, giving the Canucks their first of the night. 

Makar was whistled late in the period after Conor Garland took an extra jab at Blackwood following a cover-up. Makar took immediate exception, corralling Garland from behind and driving him to the ice, earning a roughing penalty in the process. The Avs killed the penalty and late in the kill, Drury went on a breakaway but was turned away by Lankinen. 

Second Period 

The Canucks evened the score at 1:55 of the second period when Sherwood slipped a backhand past Blackwood following a mismanaged clearing attempt by Toews that left the puck in Vancouver’s hands. 

At 10:08, Nichushkin was assessed a holding penalty on DeBrusk as the latter charged the net. The call was peculiar, as replay showed Nichushkin had collided with DeBrusk but made no discernible attempt to restrain him. Colorado’s penalty kill, however, held firm once again. 

Vancouver dictated the pace for extended stretches, yet Toews nearly swung momentum back in Colorado’s favor with a sharp one-timer from the point with roughly six minutes remaining, only to be denied by Lankinen. 

Late in the period, Olofsson was sent to the box for holding Garland along the boards, but the Avalanche’s penalty kill remained impenetrable, successfully killing off their fourth infraction of the game. 

Third Period 

The Avalanche reclaimed a 3–2 lead just 30 seconds into the third period when Lehkonen deftly redirected Brent Burns’ slap-pass from the left slot while being checked by Quinn Hughes. After a turbulent second frame, Colorado opened the third with conviction. 

The Avalanche earned a power play at 6:45 after Evander Kane tripped Cale Makar, but the advantage quickly unraveled. Nichushkin turned the puck over twice—surviving the first miscue but paying dearly for the second, as O’Connor intercepted the play, broke free, and beat Blackwood on a clean breakaway to knot the game at three. 

Brindley then drew a holding penalty on Tom Willander with 10:50 remaining, granting Colorado another opportunity on the man advantage. Thirty-seven seconds later, Lehkonen capitalized again, jamming home a rebound off a Marty Necas shot to restore the Avalanche lead at 4–3. 

As the clock approached the four-minute mark, Vancouver surged. Blackwood answered with a pair of crucial stops—first stoning Hughes on a wrist shot, then denying Pettersson’s backhand attempt after a slick deke, despite momentarily losing the rebound. Colorado managed to clear the danger. 

Moments later, Gabriel Landeskog cross-checked Hughes in the back, handing the Canucks a late power play. Vancouver wasted no time, as Brock Boeser threaded a pass to DeBrusk for a sweet redirection that eluded Blackwood, tying the game 4–4 with 3:01 left in regulation. 

Makar pressed in the final seconds, unleashing several challenging shots on Lankinen, but the Vancouver netminder turned them all aside. Overtime beckoned. 

Overtime 

Curse begone. After five consecutive overtime losses, the Avalanche finally exorcised their demons. Brindley carried the puck up the ice and fired a shot from the left circle that Lankinen kicked aside. The rebound, however, proved costly—Lankinen misplayed it, allowing Brindley to swoop in and poke it home, securing a dramatic overtime victory for Colorado. 

Next Game 

The Avalanche (10-1-5) return home on Tuesday to face the Anaheim Ducks (11-3-1) at Ball Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. local time.  

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