CHICAGO — In a thrilling finish, Martin Necas scored with just 11 seconds remaining to help secure a victory for the Colorado Avalanche against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen then sealed the win in the shootout with successful attempts, giving Colorado a 3-2 triumph.
The game took a dramatic turn midway through the third period when Cale Makar netted his personal-best 29th goal of the season, narrowing the gap to 2-1. Necas played a pivotal role in the comeback by redirecting a point shot from Makar past Chicago’s goalie, Spencer Knight, marking his 27th goal of the season.
Colorado’s goaltender, Scott Wedgewood, was solid between the pipes, making 22 saves and helping his team break a two-game losing streak.
The Blackhawks initially established control with Ilya Mikheyev scoring a short-handed goal in the first period, followed by Connor Murphy’s goal in the second period that put Chicago up 2-0. Knight was kept busy with 29 saves throughout the game.
Teuvo Teravainen was the lone scorer for Chicago in the shootout, as the first three shooters missed. After MacKinnon’s success, Teravainen managed to score, but Necas ultimately decided the outcome for Colorado.
This game marked another struggle for the Blackhawks, who have now lost 11 of their last 12 matches. Despite the defeat, they managed to reach their 52nd point of the season, equaling last year’s total.
For the Avalanche, a significant moment came when they successfully killed a penalty on MacKinnon with just 3:42 left in regulation, setting up Necas’ clutch tie. Notably, Mikheyev’s short-handed goal was his third this season, making him the only Blackhawks player to achieve such a feat so far this year.
Looking ahead, the Colorado Avalanche will face off against Columbus on Thursday night, while the Chicago Blackhawks will visit Washington on Friday night.