Rantanen, Avalanche get back on track with win against Blues

DENVER -- Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist for the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Ball Arena on Wednesday.

Ross Colton, Artturi Lehkonen and Bowen Byram also scored, and Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each had two assists for the Avalanche (7-2-0), who had lost 4-0 in each of their previous two games. Ivan Prosvetov, who was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 9, made 27 saves in his first start with Colorado.

"I liked our checking game. I like what we did,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “I liked the way we played, the energy, the intensity to our game, but there was a, I don't know, call it a 10-minute stretch in the second period where it was a track meet. We were giving up some chances, and I thought [Prosvetov] was excellent.”

Rantanen agreed.

“I think he was best player on the ice today, and when we had those breakdowns in the second period, he was really, really good and made some big saves,” Rantanen said. “I've been seeing it in the practice, too. He's been solid in the practice. So, he's been working hard.”

Robert Thomas scored, and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves for the Blues (3-4-1), who have lost three of four.

“We made two bad puck decisions in the third period. It cost us the game. That's basically what it boils down to,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. “Lost our coverage on the third goal chasing behind the net, but we could have moved that puck earlier and got out of there and we didn't. And then the fourth goal, same thing. Was just a bad puck play and it was in our net. I thought our game was good up until then. First period, too. ... We're right in the game. We shot ourselves in the foot in the third.”

Colton gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 8:53 of the first period. He gained a step on Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker while skating down the right wing before putting the puck back on his forehand in the bottom of the circle and scoring off the far post.

“Our line's (Miles Wood, Logan O'Connor) just been trying to preach, 'Let's play fast, play forward,'" Colton said. "Miles made nice play, and I just tried to kind of slant through the zone there. I'm fortunate enough that I just got a step on the guy and just tried to fire it on net. Luckily it went in.”

Rantanen made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 13:19 of the first, scoring short side through a screen from the right circle. Berube challenged the play for a missed game stoppage, but the call was confirmed after a video review.

Thomas cut it to 2-1 at 17:49 of the second period. He received a cross-ice pass from Kasperi Kapanen, cut to the high slot and roofed a wrist shot glove side on Prosvetov.

“[Nick Leddy] skates it up, takes one guy to the net, [Pavel Buchnevich] takes the other guy to the net, and I get free in the slot. So great play by all those guys,” Thomas said. “Obviously, being down two in the first is not very good, but I think we responded well. We had a bunch of chances and made it close going into the third.”

Lehkonen extended the lead to 3-1 at 1:41 of the third period. Makar wound up for a one-timer in the bottom of the right circle but instead sent a pass to Lehkonen, who scored past Binnington's right pad from the edge of the crease.

Byram made it 4-1 at 7:59 on a one-timer after Brayden Schenn turned the puck over to MacKinnon in his own zone.

“I feel like we were forechecking a little bit better. We were working harder, like getting pucks back,” Rantanen said. “Everybody was kind of chipping in, and the guys who didn't score, they were playing well. So, I think everybody had a solid game.”

NOTES: Rantanen's power-play goal was his 80th in the NHL. He is the seventh player in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to score that many, joining Joe Sakic (205), Michel Goulet (147), Milan Hejduk (140), Peter Stastny (120), MacKinnon (83) and Anton Stastny (80). … It was the Avalanche's 900th home win in franchise history, and the 600th home win since the team relocated to Denver from Quebec ahead of the 1995-96 season.