Colorado Avalanche blueliners aren’t growing defensive about their recent offensive surge — they simply remain adamant about an aim to stop goals before scoring them.
Still, the fact is the two-way tendencies of Avalanche defensemen have helped the club to a 7-0-1 run in the past eight games entering Wednesday’s visit to the struggling Chicago Blackhawks.
Devon Toews continued the trend Monday, contributing two goals and an assist during a 3-1 home win against the Florida Panthers. Two games before that, Toews scored the game-winner on another three-point night and Cale Makar added two goals in a 6-5 overtime win over Buffalo.
“I don’t think our guys necessarily care about points back there,” Toews said. “It’s about contributing offensively and being able to create time and space for our forwards and get them the puck in dangerous areas as well.
“So if we’re able to contribute on the score sheets, that’s great. But at the end of the day, we’re defenders first.”
Chicago, meanwhile, will welcome offense from any corner. The Blackhawks have an NHL-low 28 points and have been outscored 35-18 while losing six of seven.
Friday’s 4-2 victory against Montreal seemed promising for Chicago after three straight four-goal losses. While Tyler Bertuzzi gave the Blackhawks an early lead against the visiting New York Rangers on Sunday, Chicago ultimately surrendered five straight goals in a 6-2 defeat.
“It’s just a lot of dominoes that don’t go our way,” the Blackhawks’ Wyatt Kaiser said. “(We’re) still trying to figure it out.”
Coach Anders Sorensen called the club’s puck management “unacceptable.” He added: “Then we get stuck in our own zone because we’re tired and we can’t get out. … Nothing good comes out of that.”
Kaiser gave the Blackhawks a bright spot with his first goal in career game No. 71, on his 155th shot attempt.
Otherwise, the most consistent member of the attack has been leading scorer Connor Bedard, the reigning NHL Rookie of the Year.
Bedard enters Wednesday on a career-best seven game point streak in which he has three goals and six assists. Each helper has come on a Bertuzzi goal.
“As we play (together) more, we know where each other is going to be,” Bertuzzi said. “I’ve just got to find open ice, and I know he’s going to make good plays.”
Colorado has scored multiple goals in each game during its recent run apart from one, a 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal on Saturday. Forward Mikko Rantanen has been a constant over that span, collecting nine goals and 14 assists during a 14-game point streak.
“He’s been playing hard, the last handful of games especially,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “His competitiveness is skating, and then when he gets in puck-protection, that’s the way we need him to play. And usually offense follows that.”
Nathan MacKinnon has a goal and 15 assists during an eight-game point streak for the Avalanche, who lost 5-2 to visiting Chicago on Oct. 28. Ryan Donato scored twice to help Chicago stop a four-game skid while ending Colorado’s five-game winning streak.
The teams are set to meet twice over the final five weeks of the season.
–Field Level Media
