Wednesday, January 07, 2015
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Varlamov, Avalanche shut down Blackhawks

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[January 07, 2015]  CHICAGO -- Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov politely swatted aside the question in the same manner that he made a career-high 54 saves in a 2-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Was this the best game of his NHL career?

"I don't want to talk about myself, to be honest with you," Varlamov said with a shy smile as he stood in front of his locker after the game. "Ask my teammates."

The resounding answer was yes.

"'Varly' stood on his head," Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon said with a grin.

MacKinnon and left winger Maxime Talbot scored in the game's first 77 seconds, and Varlamov did the rest. The 26-year-old netminder earned his third shutout of the season to lift the Avalanche (16-16-8).

The Blackhawks (26-12-2) lost for the second time in three games. They were shut out for the third time this season and for the first time since Nov. 2 against the Winnipeg Jets.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said allowing two goals in the first two minutes proved costly. He blamed defensive breakdowns for both goals as MacKinnon and Talbot skated unhindered through the neutral zone before going to the net.

"We talked about it the last couple of days, giving up the first goal, getting off to poor starts," Quenneville said. "Today, you couldn't even call it a poor start. You're down, you don't even know you're in the game and you're down 2-0."

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford turned aside 22 of 24 shots to drop to 15-8-2 on the season.

Varlamov, 26, stymied the Blackhawks with 17 saves in the first period, 21 saves in the second and 16 saves in the third. He continues to shine against Chicago, as he posted a 3-0-0 record with a .957 save percentage in four appearances vs. the Blackhawks last season.

Despite the heavy workload, Varlamov said, his teammates helped to limit high-quality scoring chances.

"The good thing was I saw most of the shots today," Varlamov said. "The guys in front of me were trying to give me a chance to see the puck all of the time. I think that was the key.

"We played very well on the rebounds. I had lots of rebounds today, and my 'D' and my forwards played very well in front of me."

Right winger Patrick Kane led the Blackhawks with seven shots. Center Jonathan Toews, left winger Patrick Sharp and defenseman Duncan Keith added five shots apiece.

Sharp said too many of Chicago's shots were from long distance.

"It's frustrating," Sharp said. "I think we can do a better job of getting to the net."

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MacKinnon opened the scoring 53 seconds into the first period. The 19-year-old center collected a rebound at the bottom of the right circle and flicked a sharp-angle wrist shot above Crawford's glove for his seventh goal.

Twenty-four seconds later, Colorado increased its lead to 2-0 on an odd-man rush by MacKinnon and Talbot. MacKinnon received a stretch pass from defenseman John Mitchell and slipped a pass across the crease to Talbot, whose shot trickled past Crawford's pads for his first goal since Nov. 26.

MacKinnon, who scored 24 goals as a rookie a year ago, said he was starting to hit his stride after an up-and-down start to the season.

"I feel better," MacKinnon said. "I feel like I'm doing the right things on both sides of the puck and playing more of a simple game, a fast game."

Blackhawks left winger Brandon Saad thought he scored with 2:37 remaining in the third period, but referees immediately waved off the goal. They ruled that a whistle had sounded before Saad punched the puck across the goal line.

NOTES: Blackhawks LW Kris Versteeg missed his second consecutive game because of a left hand injury he sustained Jan. 1 against the Washington Capitals. The team announced that he underwent a procedure to stabilize a fractured metacarpal, and Versteeg is expected to be out for a month. ... Avalanche G Semyon Varlamov started his fifth consecutive game after missing 13 of the previous 16 games. ... To replace Versteeg, Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp joined a line with C Brad Richards and RW Patrick Kane. ... Avalanche D Zach Redmond was a healthy scratch for the fourth consecutive game. ... Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he liked what he saw from C Teuvo Teravainen, a highly touted 20-year-old who played his second game of the season Tuesday. "We expect him to improve," Quenneville said. "Just be comfortable. Play with confidence."

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

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