The Blackhawks’ losing streak stretched to three games with a 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Jonathan Toews and Erik Gustafsson scored for the Blackhawks, who are six points back of Colorado for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
Philipp Grubauer continued his stellar play and stopped 29 of 31 shots for the Avalanche, who have won four straight.
How it Happened
From the drop of the puck, the Blackhawks and Avalanche played at an impressive pace with lots of action at both ends of the ice.
In the first shift of the game, Brandon Saad took a tripping call after an icing. On the resulting penalty kill, Corey Crawford stoned Nathan MacKinnon twice and kept the game tied early on.
The Blackhawks then got a power play chance after a too many men mishap by the Avalanche. Dylan Strome had the best chance on a slick backdoor pass, but could not convert.
After a handful of dangerous looks by Chicago, Saad took his second tripping penalty of the period. Artem Anisimov and David Kampf kept the Colorado power play unit out of the high danger areas to keep the game tied 0-0 after one period.
Three minutes into the second period, Illinois native J.T. Compher found open space in the slot and tipped home a shot from defenseman Patrik Nemeth. It was his fourth goal against the Blackhawks this season.
Two minutes later, Kane forced a turnover behind the net. The puck bounced to Dylan Sikura, who drove to the net. Grubauer poked the puck from Sikura, but Toews was right there to bury the loose change for his 32nd goal this season.
It is the first time Toews has reached the 32-goal mark since his 2010-11 season. His career high is 34 goals from his second-year in 2008-09.
Following a holding penalty on Gustafsson, Kampf took a 4-minute high-sticking penalty to give the Avalanche a 5-on-3 opportunity. Chicago couldn’t clear the puck after a few big stops by Crawford, and Collin Wilson tapped home a feed right above the crease to make it 2-1 Colorado.
Late in the second period, the Blackhawks were handed another power play opportunity. Alex DeBrincat got a wide open look at the net on a cross ice pass from Patrick Kane, but could not capitalize.
Sven Andrighetto tipped Erik Johnson’s shot past Crawford to make it 3-1 at 1:26 of the third period.
During a push by the Blackhawks, Saad won a puck battle after a 3-on-2 rush into the offensive zone. Duncan Keith snapped a pass over to Gustafsson, who blasted home a one timer for his 16th goal.
Derrick Brassard added an empty-netter for Colorado with 2:20 remaining to give Colorado a 4-2 lead.
Three Stars
1. Alexander Kerfoot (COL) – 2 assists.
2. Jonathan Toews (CHI) – 1 goal, 3 SOG, won 86-percent of his face-offs.
3. Colin Wilson (COL) – 1 goal, 1 assist, 20:38 TOI.
What’s Next?
The Blackhawks finish off the home-and-home against the Avalanche at 7 p.m. Sunday at the United Center.