The Avalanche became the first team to clinch a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot following a one-sided 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday at United Center.
Colorado outshot the Blackhawks 49-20 and was dominant on the power play, perfect on the penalty kill, and overwhelmed the Hawks at five-on-five to sweep the three-game season series against their Central Division foe.
The two points give the Avs 100 on the season, and a four-point advantage on the Dallas Stars for the No. 1 seed in the division. Colorado also became the first team to reach 45 wins.
Martin Necas had a goal and two assists, while Nathan MacKinnon had three helpers. In goal, Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves, giving up one goal to Wyatt Kaiser in the second period.
10 Takeaways
1. It was important for the Avalanche to win in this way. They dominated the game, they had the better looks, the high-danger opportunities, and far more puck possession. It’s not unlike their performance against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
The biggest difference this time around is that the opposition wasn’t Dallas. It was a team that struggled to contain the attack and didn’t quite have that same level of goaltending. For the Avalanche, it was vital for them to be rewarded after a dominant 60-minute effort.
2. More importantly, it was crucial to ensure that the Dallas Stars are at least five points away from taking over the No. 1 seed in the league.
3. The Avs reached 100 points for the fifth consecutive season, which is tied (with seven other teams) for the fourth-longest streak in NHL history. If they do it again next year, they’d be tied for third and have one of the four longest runs of 100+ points in NHL history. The Edmonton Oilers did it six years in a row in the 80’s. Montreal accomplished eight straight years starting in 1975.
And the longest run goes to the Detroit Red Wings, who did it for 12 seasons in a row from 2000 to 2012. The Avs aren’t even halfway to that number yet.
4. Three games, three wins against the Chicago Blackhawks this season. And the Avalanche gave up just two goals in the process. That’s a pretty solid outcome given some of the upset victories the Hawks have had on Colorado in recent years.
5. I’ll give you one name who doesn’t enjoy playing against Jared Bednar: Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill.
Blashill is 1-10-2 in 13 games as a head coach against Bednar during his NHL career.
6. With 84 points on the season, Necas has eclipsed last year’s career high, and he still has 15 more games to try to reach the century mark for the first time in his career. Necas, who is tied for sixth in league scoring, has 10 goals and 22 points in 12 games since the Olympic break.
7. Brock Nelson finally ended his scoring slump. And what a beauty of a redirection on the power play. I feel like that was a play the Avs have always tried and it rarely ever works. This one was perfectly placed.
8. How about the other power play goal? MacKinnon made a slick play, going to the backhand to fool the defender and sending a no-look pass to Nazem Kadri for his second since returning to Colorado.
9. Kadri played 17:37, which is the lowest in the seven games since the Avs traded for him. He has over 20 minutes in five games, and another where he finished at 19:26.
10. Blackwood could use a game like that to help rebuild some of the confidence he’s probably lost in recent games.
