Bedard has 2 points to push streak to 8, Blackhawks defeat Avalanche

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard extended his career-best point streak to eight games with a goal and an assist for the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche at United Center on Wednesday.

Petr Mrazek made 35 saves for the Blackhawks (14-25-2), who had lost six of seven.

“Felt good … that’s obviously a good team,” Bedard said. “A lot of shifts are going to be 50/50, but I thought we had some good plays. Overall, it was a pretty good game from our whole group, and obviously Petr was unbelievable.”

Mrazek was on injured reserve with a groin injury from Dec. 12-19 and hadn’t won since Nov. 27.

“Long time no win,” Mrazek said. “After I came back from injury, I haven't got a win. Early on, I saw a lot of pucks, so that was the key for me tonight. I just was battling since I returned, every day on the ice, in the practice, in the game. I knew I can make some saves, and I knew there was going to be a game that I could prove I can still play the game.”

Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen had his point streak end at 14 games and Nathan MacKinnon’s streak ended at eight for the Avalanche (25-16-1), who were 7-0-1 in their previous eight games. Trent Miner, making his first NHL start, made 17 saves.

“I think we dominated; their goalie had a good night,” Rantanen said. “That’s what happened. Tonight was one of those [where] I feel like created a lot of chances. He made a lot of good saves. We had really good looks, and he was there always. Got to tip your cap to him.”

Juuso Parssinen’s unassisted goal at 6:14 of the first period gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. Parssinen picked up the puck in the defensive zone, skated down the right wing and lifted a backhand shot over Mrzek’s glove from the right face-off circle while holding off Chicago forward Lukas Reichel.

It was his first goal since being traded to Colorado from the Nashville Predators on Dec. 28.

Ilya Mikheyev tied the game at 16:48. Bedard broke up Samuel Girard’s pass in the left corner. The puck went to Mikheyev, who skated in and put a forehand shot past Miner.

Frank Nazar’s first goal of the season put the Blackhawks ahead 2-1 at 10:17 of the second period. Nazar put in the rebound of Colton Dach’s shot after Teuvo Teravainen carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed to Dach, who picked up his first NHL point with the assist in his third NHL game.

“Yeah, it feels really good,” Nazar said. “Just to be able to get that win, too, is a big part of it. Obviously, a goal doesn't really mean much if we don't get that win, so it's a good team effort. And, yeah, just a better feeling in the locker room after.”

An apparent goal by Bedard at 12:21 was overturned after video review initiated by the NHL Situation Room determined that Bedard put the puck into the net on a rebound with a distinct kicking motion.

MacKinnon’s best chance to score came on a rebound with 21 seconds left in the period, but Mrazek stuck out his right pad to make a save.

“They played a great hockey game,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of the Blackhawks. “Didn’t mind a lot of ours, either. I didn’t like some of the things we did on both those goals against, like both turnovers and missing checks on the way in, the first two. On the other side of it, we needed to make it a little more difficult for Mrazek even though when we shot it to the net we came up with some really dangerous rebound scoring chances. But he was pretty good too. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Bedard made it 3-1 at 11:54 of the third period, taking a pass from Tyler Bertuzzi and scoring on a wrist shot from the right circle. He has 11 points (four goals and seven assists) on his streak.

“It was nice to kind of get one back if one gets called off,” Bedard said. “I didn’t know. It was kind of 50/50, so it was good to kind of erase it a little bit.”

NOTES: Forward Jonathan Drouin took part in the Avalanche’s morning skate but did not play because of an upper-body injury. Bednar said he is hopeful Drouin can play at Minnesota on Thursday. … Bedard tied Patrick Kane (65) for the second-most assists by a teenager in Blackhawks history behind Eddie Olczyk (80). … The 19-year-old forward tied Olczyk (1985-86) and Bobby Hull (1957-58) for the third-longest point streak by a teenager in team history. Jonathan Toews had a 10-game streak in 2007-08 and Olczyk a nine-game run in 1985-86.