Thursday's end result at United Center was 4-0 in favor of Chicago, but the outcome isn't indicative of how the game actually went for Colorado.
Overall, the Avs played fairly well. They outshot, out-attempted and out-chanced the Blackhawks, but they couldn't find the back of the net. That wasn't the case on the other side, as some of the Hawks' heavy hitters--Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa (twice) and Artemi Panarin--all netted goals.
"Their top players capitalized on a couple of our mistakes. Other than that, we dictated the majority of the game, but there's really no moral victories," said defenseman Erik Johnson. "They capitalized on all their opportunities and played better than us. They deserved to win. They're a great team for a reason, and their best players made us pay."
Other than a brief lull late in the first period and early in the second, the Avs controlled possession of the game. They outshot the Blackhawks each period, finishing with a 38-21 advantage overall and a 55-43 edge in shot attempts.
"Start to finish, good effort. Again, there's a handful of mistakes that cost us," said head coach Jared Bednar. "We're not going to be celebrating losses, that's for sure, but at the end of the day, if we continue to play like that and clean up a couple mistakes, find a way to bury a chance or two, that's what we have to do."