The Colorado Avalanche bring an eight-game winning streak and an NHL-best 35 points into Sunday’s visit to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Colorado also boasts a league-leading five goals in the first minute of a game, tallying its latest ultra-quick strike on Saturday.
Brent Burns scored just 15 seconds into an eventual 3-0 victory at Nashville, providing early backing to Mackenzie Blackwood’s 35-save shutout.
While the Avalanche were choppy in extended spurts the rest of the way, only padding the lead with a pair of empty-netters over the game’s last 1:35, Burns has a pulse on how to regroup.
“Just supporting each other, I think, talking,” he said. “If we get the puck out of our zone, we’re usually pretty good.”
Colorado is on its longest winning streak since a nine-game tear from March 4-24, 2024. The Saturday game marked the first time this season that defenseman Cale Makar — the team’s second-leading scorer with 28 points, eight behind Nathan MacKinnon — didn’t register a point in a road game.
Nashville outshot Colorado 35-26, but Blackwood held firm with his first shutout of the season.
“We needed that game as a team out of him because we were no good, and in a way, I’m sure he probably needed one like that, too,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.
Chicago enters its first meeting with the Central Division-leading Avalanche this season on a two-game losing streak.
After yielding three unanswered third-period goals to fall 3-2 to Seattle on Thursday, the Blackhawks absorbed a 9-3 drubbing in Buffalo one night later.
Defenseman Connor Murphy labeled the effort against the Sabres “unacceptable,” adding, “there’s no excuse for how we played.”
While there was no disagreement from Chicago coach Jeff Blashill, he also suggested the club’s continued maturity should only help.
“We didn’t have our best,” Blashill said. “Sometimes when you don’t have your best, you’ve got to make sure you’re mentally dialed in, and we weren’t dialed in enough.
“Some of this is a growing thing for our team. We have a lot of guys that have never been through the NHL schedule, so there’s going to be moments where they have to learn as they go. Part of it is learning that when you don’t have your best physically, you’ve still got to play good mentally.”
Chicago’s marquee youngster, Connor Bedard, tallied two assists in Buffalo to become the youngest player in franchise history to earn 100 career assists at 20 years, 127 days.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice against the Sabres and is on a six-game point streak.
“I think he’s played great all year,” Blashill said. “I think he’s done it right all year, I think he’s led by example. The way that he’s approached the game. … He’s been a real favorite of mine as a player for a long time, and he continues to be.”
Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, who had an assist Saturday to stretch his point streak to five games, is one point shy of 600 for his career.
–Field Level Media
