In Denver, the Colorado Avalanche could not protect a 3-1 lead they had built through the first period of their match with the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
Chicago struck for four unanswered goals in the final frame for a 5-3 win over the Avs.
Robin Lehner made 28 saves to backstop the rally and win.
“Big two points for us and something we can feel really good about,” Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton said. “Hopefully, it’s a reminder of how we need to play. We have a lot of character in our group and we’ve shown we’re not going to quit, but the next step for us is to bring it all the time, and not when our backs are completely against the wall.”
Matt Calvert struck for two goals in the loss and Ryan Graves added a single marker for the Avs.
“Same as last game, last five minutes of the period,” Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said when asked when he began seeing defensive breakdowns. “… It’s like we got five guys standing in the house, and they put it right into the one guy that’s in there (Kubalik), and no one gets a stick on it. … We have opportunities, we’re good in coverage, but yet they seam it right in the middle of all three of our guys, and he scores. So we’re there, we’re in good spots, we’re not finishing the job.”
Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dominik Kubalik, and Kirby Dach scored for the Hawks.
“This is what it’s going to take to turn it around,” Chicago’s Duncan Keith said. ” It’s not going to be anything else but the guys in the room. I thought we had a good game from start to finish. They’re a good team and you know they’re going to get some momentum and chances, and they capitalized. But the thing I think was great was we just stuck with it, we didn’t panic. We competed hard and were rewarded with goals and a win.”
Connor Murphy added an empty-net goal late for the final.
[WATCH: All Blackhawks vs. Avalanche highlights]
Philipp Grubauer made 27 saves in the loss.
“I thought we were playing great until those last handful of minutes in the third period in the last two games,” Erik Johnson said. “Real frustrating for us, but I mean, it can’t happen. We’re a young team, but we know how to win now, so I think it’s something you got to know how to finish off when you have that opportunity ahead of you. That’s four points that we let slip away right before the (Christmas) break, and we can’t let it happen.”
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