Avalanche 3 - 1 Senators
Final
  for this game

Varlamov seconds from perfection, but Avs still beat Sens

Mar 17, 2014 - 2:55 AM Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - The Colorado Avalanche continued their dominance against the Ottawa Senators, getting 38 saves from Semyon Varlamov in a 3-1 victory at Canadian Tire Centre.

Varlamov was six seconds away from his second shutout of the season.

Former Senator Andre Benoit, Nick Holden and John Mitchell supplied the goals for Colorado, which remained second in the Central Division after extending its winning streak versus Ottawa to seven games.

Robin Lehner stopped 19 shots in the Senators' third straight loss and seventh in nine games, a slump that is crippling their playoff chances.

"We need wins right now, not moral victories," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean.

The first period was very defensive minded, with each team recording only four shots.

Considering how the last game played out for each team, the start wasn't surprising.

The Avalanche surrendered a whopping six second-period goals in Friday's 6-4 home loss to Anaheim. Ottawa, meanwhile, thought two critical points in the standings were secure Saturday in Montreal, only to see a 4-1 lead slip away. The Canadiens scored three times in the final 3:22 of the third period before winning in overtime.

The Senators had the better of the play in the second period against the Avalanche, outshooting them 20-8, but fell behind on a goal from Benoit.

Benoit handled a Patrick Bordeleau pass and finished a 3-on-2 rush by beating Lehner on a shot from the slot at 15:49.

The Avalanche doubled their advantage on an early third-period power play. Holden set up shop at the left post and backhanded in a loose puck at 3:10.

Mitchell made it 3-0 when he scored from the crease off a behind-the-net dish from Gabriel Landeskog with 2:58 remaining.

A one-time blast from the point by Mika Zibanejad denied Varlamov the shutout.

"The guys wanted to get the shutout for (Varlamov), but they made a great play," said Colorado head coach Patrick Roy.

Game Notes

Ottawa hasn't beaten the Avalanche since Dec. 12, 2005 ... Colorado forward Matt Duchene collected two assists ... Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson played in his 300th career game.






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