Avalanche weekend notes: Avs win they shouldn’t have, Blackwood steals game, Burns sets mark

The Colorado Avalanche enter Sunday’s action with another W on the board. They beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. It was a hard-fought game that the Avs pulled out thanks to several key contributions.

So, let’s jump into this edition of the Avalanche weekend notes ahead of Sunday’s tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.

Burns sets mark

Let’s start with an interesting tidbit. Brent Burns opened the scoring against the Preds even before fans had warmed their seats and beers started flowing. The Avalanche veteran got his second of the season, 15 seconds into the game.

The goal is an interesting mark as it was the 9th fastest opening goal. It was also the fastest opening tally since Mikko Rantanen scored 14 seconds into the Avalanche’s February 27th tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The data, courtesy of Brendan McNicholas, also highlights another intriguing tidbit: The Avalanche have scored five times in the opening minute in their last 10 games. It seemed like Burns’ goal was a harbinger, but that did not end up being the case. The goal ended up being the game-winner for Colorado.

Burns' goal was his 44th career game-winning goal. The tally tied him for third all-time among blueliners with Al MacInnis and Denis Potvin. Next up is Phil Housley with 49.

Avalanche won game they shouldn’t have

Time to get real. The Avalanche really won a 1-0 game. Colorado added two empty-netters to seal the win. But those tallies didn’t come till late in the third. Nathan MacKinnon had not registered a shot on net until his tally late in the third.

The fact is that the Avalanche were totally outplayed in the first period. They were outshot 16-6, with the Predators getting numerous scoring chances. If Blackwood hadn’t been brilliant, the score could have easily been 3-1 or even 4-1 after 20 minutes.

Instead, Blackwood kept Colorado in the game. In fact, Blackwood kept them in the game the entire night. Although it should be said that the Avalanche gradually took over, to the point where the Predators went the entire first half of the second period without getting a shot on goal.

Blackwood steals game

MacKenzie Blackwood had his best game of the season. He notched his first shutout of the year, and did it in spectacular fashion. Plus, he made several fantastic saves when his team needed them the most.

Check out this recap of the best of Blackwood on Saturday night:

The clip, as shown on the Avalanche’s official X channel, depicts a tremendous outing from Blackwood. The visible faces of frustration told the story for the Predators. They have been reeling this season, and when they finally played their best game of the season, against the best team in the NHL, they lost by the slightest of margins.

Make no mistake. Blackwood stole the game for the Avalanche. The Predators should have won that game. Of course, the Avalanche defense deserves credit for tightening up as the game progressed, but it was Blackwood who kept the team afloat.