Colorado 3, Chicago 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 11, 2015
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees:
Tom Kowal, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen:
Don Henderson, Ryan Galloway
Attendance:
18049
By The Sports Xchange
DENVER -- Right wing Jarome Iginla scored his second goal of the night with 33 seconds left and the Colorado Avalanche beat the playoff-bound Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Saturday night.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov had 28 saves and left wing Cody McLeod also scored for the Avalanche (39-31-12).
The Blackhawks' playoff fate was determined earlier in the day when the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild, securing the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Chicago (48-28-6) finished with 102 points and will play Nashville in the first round, with the Predators having home ice.
That meant Saturday night's game had no bearing on the standings for either team, so Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville scratched some of his top players, including defenseman Duncan Keith and centers Jonathan Toews and Brad Richards.
Goaltender Corey Crawford also sat in anticipation of a tough series against the Predators. Crawford had been the tough-luck loser in three straight 2-1 losses for Chicago.
Left wingers Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad scored and goalie Scott Darling had 21 saves for Chicago.
The Avalanche wrapped up a disappointing season by ending a three-game losing streak in season finales. Colorado finished with 90 points, 22 fewer than last year's surprising run to the Central Division title after missing the playoffs the three previous seasons.
The Avalanche didn't pack it in after being eliminated. They won their last three games and four of the last five, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome a slow start to the season.
They went out on a high note in front of a sold-out home crowd that had mostly Blackhawks fans in attendance. Iginla won it with his second power-play goal of the night and 29th of the year.
It was the 14th time he had scored 28 or more goals in a season. He fell just shy of his 13th 30-goal season.
McLeod gave Colorado a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when he knocked in a pass from defenseman Tyson Barrie. It was McLeod's seventh goal of the season.
Sharp tied it with his 16th goal on a slap shot from the slot at 8:03 of the second.
Bickell went off for hooking at 13:55 and Iginla's slap shot 26 seconds later gave Colorado a 2-1 lead.
Saad tied it with his 23rd goal at 15:20 of the third.
NOTES: Avalanche D Brad Stuart did not play because of a leg injury suffered in Thursday's win over Winnipeg. Defenseman Duncan Siemens, recalled from Lake Erie of the AHL, made his NHL debut in Stuart's absence. ... Blackhawks C Andrew Shaw was fined $2,000 by the league for his second diving and embellishing call. His first one came Nov. 11 against Tampa Bay and his second occurred March 30 against Los Angeles. ... Avalanche C Daniel Briere may have played his last NHL game. Briere, 37, is a free agent and has played sparingly this season.
Top Game Performances
| Chicago |
|
Colorado |
|
Brandon Saad 1 |
Points |
Jarome Iginla 2 |
|
Brandon Saad 1 |
Goals |
Jarome Iginla 2 |
|
Bryan Bickell 1 |
Assists |
Tyson Barrie 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Jarome Iginla 2 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Scott Darling .875 |
Save Percentage |
Semyon Varlamov .933 |
|
Scott Darling 21 |
Saves |
Semyon Varlamov 28 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Chicago
|
30 |
2 |
0-0 |
0-2 |
6 |
23 |
| Colorado
|
24 |
3 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
2 |
25 |
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