The Avalanche’s penalty-killing units crashed Monday night along with the club’s 487-game sellout streak.
Colorado no longer can add to its NHL record sellout streak, or take back the penalties that doomed it in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Before an announced Pepsi Center crowd of 17,681 – the first non-sellout gathering since 1995 – the Avs stormed back from a 3-0 deficit with goals by Joe Sakic, Tyler Arnason and Patrice Brisebois.
But in the end, inefficient penalty killing early and a soft, third-period goal allowed by goalie Jose Theodore were too much to overcome.
Chicago scored on three of its first seven power plays to take its big lead early in the second period. Martin Lapointe scored twice for the Blackhawks, including the game-winner 5:26 into the third period on a seemingly harmless wrist shot from atop the right circle.
The Avs, who failed to produce 30 shots for the first time this season, enter a three-game road trip having lost two consecutive home games. And they no longer have the NHL’s second-best penalty-killing percentage. After killing 17-of-18 penalties in their first four games, the Avs allowed three goals in 10 power-play chances.
“The way we started the game gave them a chance to get into the game,” Avs winger Ian Laperriere said, alluding to the six power plays presented to the Blackhawks in the first period. “We’re not happy at all. It’s part of the game, those 20 minutes. We might (have) played better in the last 40, but we got to come ready. … No excuses for those penalties.”
Two of Colorado’s goals were on the power play. Sakic scored on a 5-on-3 advantage 5:02 into the second period to make it 3-1, and Arnason, a former Blackhawk, stuffed in a rebound at even strength at 17:02 to get the Avs within a goal.
Brisebois tied it 2:01 into the third with Patrick Sharp in the box, the final penalty Chicago committed. Sharp added an empty-net goal with one second remaining, and one second after John-Michael Liles was released from the box after taking Colorado’s 10th and final infraction.
“The penalties, we didn’t need to take that many penalties,” Sakic said. “Obviously you get off on a start like that, and we have to kill six penalties in the first period, it’s tough for everybody to get their legs.”
Chicago dominated the first period, producing 17 of the 21 shots, and got rewarded in the final minute by taking advantage of Colorado’s fifth and sixth penalties. Lapointe cashed in on an errant Colorado clearing pass to make it 1-0 at 19:00, and Lasse Kukkonen scored 44 seconds later.
Both goals fooled Theodore on shots between his legs.
Defenseman Adrian Aucoin set up Lapointe’s goal. Aucoin intercepted a weak Colorado clearing pass at the blue line and quickly threw the puck to the end line for Lapointe, who was behind the Avs defensemen. His wrist shot from beneath the left circle trickled in off Theodore.
Kukkonen’s slap shot appeared to throw off Theodore after hitting the skate of an Avs defender.
Chicago’s Radim Vrbata, a former Av, scored on Chicago’s seventh power play 2:38 into the second period.
Postgame audio
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
