Coming into Chicago Friday on a five-game losing skid that featured some dismal performances, the Colorado Avalanche propped up their anemic offense with a stingy defensive effort as they outlasted the Blackhawks, 2-1 in overtime.
Nathan MacKinnon potted the winner just 25 seconds into the extra session.
“Especially with the [pending] break, we didn’t want to just sit around and be negative,” MacKinnon said. “We have some positivity going into the break here and hopefully we can have a good stretch after it.”
Calvin Pickard made 38 saves in a solid effort to help the Avs erase some of the memory of the past few weeks.
Corey Crawford returned to the Chicago crease after going through surgery, he made 32 saves in the loss.
“I was just trying to feel good right from the start,” said Crawford, who made 13 saves in a scoreless first period. “I was reading plays pretty good. That’s the most important thing, seeing the puck well. I felt pretty good.”
It was his first game after a 10-game absence.
Jonathan Toews was the lone goal scorer for the Hawks as he ended a 13-game drought.
“We know we had a dangerous team, knowing they got beat bad at home [Thursday] night, and they bounced back. Now we have a couple of days off to get refreshed and a fun week going into the [Winter Classic],” Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said.
WATCH: All Avalanche vs. Blackhawks highlights
The Avs, who are 2-11-1 in their 14 games, got a goal from Mikko Rantanen in regulation to tie the game 1-1.
“It’s been tough. We haven’t been scoring any goals [lately] and we’ve been letting in a ton. It wasn’t like we were hanging on all game,” MacKinnon said. “We were pushing the pace and getting good plays. Crawford played a great game and so did [Pickard], so we’re proud of ourselves tonight.”
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