In Chicago, a dull contest between the Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche on Friday turned feisty in the third period.
The had a 2-0 lead off second period goals from Gabriel Landeskog and J.T. Compher.
The third period featured two teams trading blows, with each side scoring four times and the Avs ending with a 6-4 win.
“I think it was [very] nice that I could contribute tonight,” Compher said. “I’ve had a lot of chances recently that haven’t gone in. To see one go in tonight was nice. I think when I’m engaged in the game … means I’m playing a little more physical. Good things seem to come.”
Pavel Francouz made 39 saves in the Colorado win.
“I don’t know what it is here recently, but they’re just finding a way to get the job done,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. “It wasn’t pretty at times tonight, but we’d get guys to make a play here or there to get us a goal. We weren’t perfect defensively, either. We got caught napping a few times. But we’re making plays to prevent goals. It’s something new every night.”
Landeskog scored twice for the Avs, and Nazem Kadri had a goal and three points on the night.
Patrick Kane hit for a double for the Hawks.
“I think a lot of these good teams, these top teams that come in or have been on the road, we’ve played them pretty good, most of them,” Chicago head coach Derek King said. “Tonight, the power play was a little sloppy to start, some guys were a little sleepy. We didn’t get the start we’ve talked about over the course of however many months I’ve been here.
“And you can’t do that against a good team. I do like the way we competed and stayed hungry and stayed in it. Made it exciting.”
Alex Newhook also scored for the Avs in the third period.
“I was pretty happy in the moment (when I scored in the second period), but to get it taken away, you reset and keep going,” Newhook said. “I like to think the hockey gods had a bit of something to do with that, seeing it get disallowed on the birthday. To get one back is good.”
Colorado improved to 31-8-3.
Brandon Hagel also hit for a pair of goals in the third period outburst.
“It’s tough,” Hagel said. “We’ve obviously played some pretty good teams, but we’ve got to find a way to win. No one wants to just keep losing and say, ‘Ah, we played well, we played well.'”
Chicago dropped to 16-21-7.
Cale Makar scored an empty-net goal to ice the win.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves in the Hawks loss.
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