Gabriel Landeskog delivered the kind of night Colorado needed, scoring twice and putting the Avalanche in front for good in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The game swung back and forth early, with Toronto striking first when Darren Raddysh scored at 3:33 of the opening period off assists from Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic. Colorado answered late in the frame, as Brock Nelson tied it 1-1 at 16:09 and Landeskog followed with the go-ahead goal at 17:26.
The Avalanche kept pressing after that. Devon Toews extended the lead to 3-1 at 3:31 of the second period, but Toronto stayed within reach when Easton Cowan cut it to 3-2 at 19:31 of the period.
Roslovic brought the Maple Leafs level again just 4:11 into the third, but Colorado responded almost immediately. Landeskog scored his second of the night at 5:02, with Nazem Kadri and Sam Malinski picking up the assists, and that goal stood as the winner. Artturi Lehkonen added insurance at 17:15, and Martin Necas sealed it into an empty net 15 seconds later.
Toews finished with a goal and an assist for Colorado, while Cale Makar chipped in two assists. Nelson, Lehkonen and Necas also scored, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves on 31 shots.
Toronto got multi-point nights from Raddysh, Roslovic and Cowan, each finishing with a goal and an assist. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 of 27 shots for the Maple Leafs.
The shot count was close, with Toronto holding a 31-28 edge. Neither team cashed in on the power play, as Colorado went 0 for 2 and Toronto went 0 for 1.
The win moved Colorado to 11-6-2 and gave the Avalanche their second straight victory. They remain fourth in the Western Conference. Toronto dropped to 8-10-2 and has now lost four in a row, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference.
The season series is split 1-1 after Toronto’s 6-3 win in the first meeting on Oct. 10.
Colorado next visits the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Toronto hosts the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Devon Toews Is Becoming A Bigger Avalanche Weapon Than Expected
Devon Toews has been one of the quieter reasons the Avalanche have stayed on track early this season, and his production has started to look a lot less quiet. He has 18 points in 19 games, and in the 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs he chipped in a goal and an assist while Colorado kept building momentum behind another strong night from Mackenzie Blackwood.
Jared Bednars decision to separate Toews and Cale Makar after Josh Mansons injury has given Toews a little more room to push offensively, and the results have shown up quickly. For a team that improved to 11-6-2 with the victory, the bigger question now is how much more of that added freedom the Avalanche can keep giving him as the schedule rolls on. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the Avalanche need that stability to show up on the ice. With Manson expected to miss about eight weeks, Juulsen is being asked to handle a bigger role and give Colorado dependable defensive minutes while the lineup absorbs the loss. The opportunity is real, and so is the pressure, because the Avalanche are counting on him to turn a fresh chance into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Mackenzie Blackwood Gave The Avalanche Another Reason To Believe
Mackenzie Blackwood gave the Avalanche another reminder of why their confidence in him keeps growing, even on a night when he was not feeling close to 100 percent. The Colorado goaltender started against the Toronto Maple Leafs while battling a fever and cough, then turned aside 28 shots in a 6-3 win after waking up sick that morning and deciding he could still go.
For a team trying to stack points and build trust in its crease, that kind of performance matters beyond one box score. Blackwood has now gone 8-1-1 over his last 10 starts with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage, and the Avalanche have every reason to believe they are getting the kind of stability that can carry them through tougher stretches ahead. [Read more 🡒]