Avalanche raise Stanley Cup banner, rout Blackhawks

Artturi Lehkonen had two goals and an assist, Valeri Nichushkin also scored two goals and the Colorado Avalanche began their title defense with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night in Denver.

Andrew Cogliano had a goal, Mikko Rantanen logged four assists, Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon contributed two assists each and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 15 shots for Colorado.

Jonathan Toews and Max Domi scored and Petr Mrazek made 30 saves for the Blackhawks.

The Avalanche held a banner-raising ceremony prior to the game, with injured captain Gabriel Landeskog skating the Stanley Cup around the ice.

The team gathered for a picture and invited Chicago defenseman Jack Johnson, who played the entire 2021-22 season with Colorado, to join.

The Avalanche showed no hangover from last season's title run. They took a 1-0 lead when Cogliano tipped MacKinnon's shot from the point through Mrazek's pads at 13:44 of the first period.

The Blackhawks got even on the power play later in the first. Philipp Kurashev fed Toews with a cross-zone pass, and Toews one-timed it by Georgiev at 15:52.

Colorado went back in front on its second power play of the period. Lehkonen fed Rantanen with a pass, and Rantanen shot it toward the net, where Nichushkin tipped it by Mrazek at 17:07.

The Avalanche continued to dominate in the second period, holding Chicago to just six shots on goal while increasing the lead. On a power play early in the period, MacKinnon passed to Rantanen below the net. Rantanen fed Lehkonen in front for a one-timer that beat Mrazek at 3:49.

Lehkonen got his second of the night, again on the power play, midway through the second. Makar sent a pass to Rantanen at the right circle, and Rantanen's low shot was tipped in by Lehkonen at 10:12.

Domi got one back on the power play early in the third when he deflected a pass from Tyler Johnson past Georgiev at 1:51.

Nichushkin added an insurance goal when he scored on the power play at 17:03.

Colorado finished 4-for-6 on the power play while Chicago was 2-for-3.