Recap: Avalanche Rout Montreal 7-2

DENVER — Brock Nelson delivered a commanding performance Saturday at Ball Arena, putting up two goals and two assists as the Avalanche rolled past the Montreal Canadiens in a decisive 7–2 win.

Gabriel Landeskog added two goals of his own, while Brent Burns, Nathan MacKinnon, and Devon Toews each chipped in one. In net, Mackenzie Blackwood made 17 saves. Martin Nečas recorded three assists, and Artturi Lehkonen added two more. With the victory, the Avalanche improved to a league-leading 18-1-6 record.

Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson scored for the Canadiens, while Jakub Dobeš made 29 saves in the loss.

First Period

From the opening puck drop, the afternoon belonged to Nelson. After sitting for a high-sticking minor at 16:10—a kill backstopped by key saves from Blackwood—Nelson returned with a renewed focus Lehkonen sent a cross-ice pass through the neutral zone, finding Nelson in stride. He ripped a crisp wrist shot past Dobeš’ glove for his 600th career point.

Moments later, it looked like Nelson had scored again. As he released his shot, Landeskog was shoved into the crease by Josh Anderson. Montreal challenged for goalie interference, but the initial review upheld the goal, noting that Anderson’s push caused the collision.

However, a more detailed league review later revealed that Landeskog barely touched the puck after Nelson’s shot, meaning Landeskog was credited with the goal. Fitting after so many of his have been called back this season. Thus, the Avalanche carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

Second Period

It didn’t take long for Colorado to strike in the second frame as off a clean faceoff win by Nelson, Burns hammered a shot through Landeskog’s screen to extend the lead. The tally—Burns’ 264th—moved him into a tie with Nicklas Lidström for ninth all-time among defensemen in goals.

Nelson wasn’t done. After being denied on a breakaway, he watched Nečas collect the rebound and send it right back to him for his second goal. Fans who didn’t hear the earlier scoring change mistakenly thought Nelson had completed a hat trick and tossed hats onto the ice—an amusing moment on a dominant night.

Montreal briefly pushed back when Juraj Slafkovský spun and found Matvei Demidov for a tap-in to make it 4–1. But Colorado quickly reasserted control.

During a 4-on-4 sequence caused by matching minors to Oliver Kapanen and Nečas, the Avalanche executed a perfectly timed play. Cale Makar floated a soft touch pass to let Landeskog tag up at the blue line. Landeskog fired a low shot off Dobeš’ pads, and MacKinnon buried the rebound for a 5–1 lead to conclude the scoring in the second period.

Third Period

The contest was over at that point but at 2:51 of the third, Nečas feathered a pass to Toews, who punched in his first of the season to make it 6–1, although he would quickly find himself in the penalty box for slashing. Montreal responded with a “thank you” as Lane Hutson scored on the power play, but the Avs responded back right away.

With Jake Evans in the box for high-sticking MacKinnon, Landeskog redirected a rebound on the power play for his second goal of the game and for the 7-2 Colorado finish.

Next Game

The Avalanche host the Vancouver Canucks at Ball Arena on Wednesday, December 2. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.