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Dec 15, 2015 - 2:58 AM Anyone who shares even a little of Patrick Kane's competitive spirit knows he was just being diplomatic on the occasions he downplayed the importance of his franchise-record point streak.

Not only has Kane relented on that stance a bit, but his run is helping the Chicago Blackhawks win more lately.

The NHL's scoring leader looks to extend his streak to 27 and help the Blackhawks win a third consecutive game when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

Kane said more than once that he didn't care if his point streak ended, so long as Chicago (17-10-4) continues to succeed. However, he seemed more than happy to keep the run going with a secondary assist on Duncan Keith's power-play goal in Sunday's 4-0 win over Vancouver.

The winger has 16 goals and 40 of his league-high 46 points during the 26-game streak that is the NHL's longest since Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux opened the 1995-96 season on a 28-game run.

''I think I passed it and it went in 10 or 15 seconds later,'' Kane said. ''I didn't know I had an assist until they announced it. I was hoping they didn't get it wrong and they've got to call it back.''

What remains most important, though, is that the Blackhawks have won four of five following a three-game skid. Kane's production also has helped make up for the fact that Jonathan Toews has yet to find his scoring touch.

The Chicago captain has one goal and one assist over his last nine. Bottom-six players Dennis Rasmussen, Andrew Shaw and Brandon Mashinter scored the other goals Sunday.

"It's not a question of if (Kane's) going to score, it's kind of when he's going to get on the board somehow," Toews said. "He's just got that knack. I think when he's feeling it, and he's feeling confident, there's not much he can't do with the puck, and eventually something's going to happen for him."

Kane has gone without a point in each of his last two against Colorado (14-16-1), which enters this matchup seeking to tie a season high with a third consecutive victory after beating St. Louis 3-1 on Sunday.

Semyon Varlamov stopped a season-best 42 shots and improved to 4-1-0 with a 1.39 goals-against average this month. He had a 3.28 GAA through his previous 14 starts.

"(I was) struggling in October and November," Varlamov said. "I've been working a lot. I never (thought) I couldn't (succeed).

"Winning back-to-back, it's not easy. We did a great job battling, those last two games."

Varlamov has won his last seven starts against Chicago while posting a 1.41 GAA, a run that includes four victories and a 1.23 GAA at the United Center.

Corey Crawford has been even better lately for the Blackhawks, who look to avoid a fourth straight loss to the Avalanche. He was named the NHL's first star of the week after winning all four starts with a 0.50 GAA and stopping 55 shots in back-to-back shutouts against Winnipeg and the Canucks.

Special teams has contributed, with the penalty kill being successful on 12 of 13 power plays over the last five.

''He's been awesome,'' Keith said. ''He's made huge saves when we've needed him, and when he's going like that, it allows us to make more mistakes and play with a little more confidence.''

Crawford, though, is 2-6-2 with a 3.57 GAA in his last 10 against Colorado.

The Blackhawks acquired Rob Scuderi from the Penguins for fellow defenseman Trevor Daley on Monday.