Blue Jackets 3 - 5 Avalanche
Final
  for this game

Avalanche brush off Blue Jackets

Jan 1, 2014 - 4:21 AM Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon both lit the lamp in the third period to help lift the Colorado Avalanche over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-3, at Pepsi Center.

Jan Hejda, Jamie McGinn, and Ryan O'Reilly also scored, while Matt Duchene contributed two assists for the Avalanche, who snapped a four-game skid. Semyon Varlamov made 35 saves in the win.

"Tonight we had our chances and it sure worked. Our coaching staff had us moving the puck quicker. We had the lanes tonight and were open in front of then net and kept it simple and cashed in," said O'Reilly.

Ryan Johansen, Boone Jenner, and Nick Foligno provided the goals for the Jackets, who have lost two straight after winning three in a row.

"We came out good tonight and had a great first period and played well. For awhile there, we kept moving. We have to look at those shifts in the first and see what we did right," Jenner said of Columbus' play in the first.

Curtis McElhinney allowed five goals on 23 shots.

Foligno took the puck from off the boards in the corner and drove in on net. Johansen gathered the rebound and wristed it past Varlamov to open the scoring for Columbus 4:13 into the first.

Colorado tied the game 3:20 later. Hejda blasted a shot from the point that found its way through the pads of McElhinney and into the net.

Jenner gave Columbus the lead after knocking down a shot from Blake Comeau in front of the net at 8:34. Less than four minutes later, McGinn backhanded a rebound to tie the game.

O'Reilly potted his 13th of the season on the power play at 14:42 of the second.

Colorado took a 4-2 lead on a pretty passing play that ended with a Landeskog wrist shot at the side of the net on the power play 8:10 into the third. 30 seconds later, Foligno took a rebound from out in front and skated around the back of the net to score on a wrap-around to slice Colorado's lead down to one.

MacKinnon converted on another power-play goal for the Avs. Andre Benoit threw a slap-pass from the left circle to the rookie in front of the net, who tapped it past McElhinney with 1:03 remaining in the third.

Game Notes

This was the first time Colorado scored three power-play goals in a game this season ... Umberger supplied two assists for the Blue Jackets ... Colorado hosts Philadelphia on Thursday ... Columbus travels to Phoenix on Thursday.






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