Canadiens beat Avalanche in shootout to end Colorado’s six-game winning streak

The Colorado Avalanche dug deep, fueled by officials’ anger, and staged a wild and remarkable comeback two nights ago in an electric night at Ball Arena.

That wasn’t it.

The Montreal Canadiens ended Colorado’s six-game winning streak with a 2-1 shootout victory Saturday at Ball Arena. Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach scored for the Canadiens in the shootout.

There are 2-1 thrillers, with great saves, end-to-end action and intense drama.

That wasn’t it.

“We were just doing well,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We were good defensively, responsible and checked hard against a team that is currently the best in the league when it comes to offensive creation. But we didn’t do a good enough job creating offense ourselves.

There may have been some disappointment after Thursday night’s wild 6-5 win over the Buffalo Sabres, but this contest seemed to be played at a slower pace at times. The Avs took an early lead and played well enough through the first 40 minutes, but also looked far from the squeaky-clean, thriving team that has reaped so many positive results over the past month.

At one point, the Avalanche had just seven shots on goal in over 35 minutes of play. The Avs created more scoring chances than Montreal, but also missed the net on several of their best looks.

Colorado had scored at least four goals in each of six games during the winning streak.

“We had a lot of zone time. We just didn’t create a lot of chances,” Bednar said. “Not enough shooting mentality. That attacking mentality just wasn’t there. It seemed like we were very selective about what shots we wanted to take.

Montreal was playing the second half of a back-to-back and rookie Jakub Dobes started in net. Dobes, 23, was making his second career NHL start and stopped 22 of Colorado’s 23 shots. He posted a 34-save shutout against the defending champion Florida Panthers in his first start.

The Avs are now 24-15-1 on the season as they reach halftime Monday night against these Panthers. They will certainly have to do better with a significant increase in competitive power.

Mackenzie Blackwood didn’t get much work, but he made three excellent saves when it was still a 1-0 game to give the Avs a chance. He and Scott Wedgewood have been exceptional since arriving in late November and early December. This is a game Colorado probably would have been looking for, given its lack of offense, but the new guards have given this club a new path to winning games.

Caulfield scored for Montreal with 6:35 left in the third period after an Avs turnover led to a 2-on-1. The Canadiens, who struggled to generate much offense for much of this match, looked to equalize and gain the upper hand for the first time in the match leading to Caufield’s goal.

The Avalanche scored the only goal of the first period on their second power play of the contest. Mikko Rantanen cut to the net from the right flank and Nathan MacKinnon found him. Rantanen headed the puck into the net with his foot at 9:01 of the period.

It was Rantanen’s 23rd goal of the season. The one they call “Moose” scored a goal in his fourth straight game and now has a 13-game point streak. It’s the longest tie in the NHL this season and one of the longest of his career.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Bednar said. “He’s one of those one-shot scorers. When you need a big goal, you have a guy who can score in all kinds of areas on that side of the ice.

LOW NOTES: Avs coach Jared Bednar said guard Scott Wedgewood did not have a sprained ankle during the team’s pregame show before this match. Bednar hopes Wedgewood will only miss 1-2 weeks after falling awkwardly on Buffalo forward Zach Benson in his territory Thursday night.

Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.

Originally published: January 4, 2025 at 8:03 p.m. MST