Avs top Canucks in OT on MacKinnon's winner

Avs top Canucks in OT on MacKinnon's winner
Image Credit: pixabay
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Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including the winner 27 seconds into overtime, and had an assist as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the host Vancouver Canucks 5-4 Saturday night. Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also scored for the Avalanche (12-6-2), who won for the fourth time in their past five games. Cale Makar had four assists, giving the rookie blue-liner 22 points in 20 games. Goaltender Antoine Bibeau made 28 saves to win his first NHL start in nearly three years.

Adam Gaudette scored two power-play goals, and Alexander Edler and Brock Boeser each tallied in the final three minutes, as the Canucks pulled their goalie for an extra skater to erase a 4-2 deficit. Goaltender Thatcher Demko stopped 18 of 23 shots, as Vancouver dropped to 1-4-2 in its past seven games. The Avalanche never relinquished possession after winning the faceoff in overtime. MacKinnon took a pass from Makar and barreled down the left wing before putting a shot past Demko.

The Canucks scored twice in the final 2:37 of regulation to force overtime. Boeser scored the tying goal with 1:00 left off the rebound of a shot by Elias Pettersson.

Edler scored a controversial goal at 17:23 of the third, with Colorado's Matt Calvert down on the ice and bleeding at the top of the faceoff circles after taking a shot from Pettersson in the back of the head. Bibeau, 25, got the call because No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer has missed the past five games with a lower-body injury, and backup Pavel Francouz sustained a head injury against Winnipeg on Tuesday and remains in the concussion protocol.

Bibeau was making his first start since Dec. 29, 2016 while with Toronto. He made a relief appearance Thursday in a 6-2 loss at Edmonton, stopping nine of 10 shots he faced. Bellamare gave the Avalanche the lead at 6:56 of the first, winning a faceoff and then tipping Erik Johnson's shot from the right point over Demko's shoulder.

Gaudette tied it at 18:27, as Josh Leivo drove the puck to the goal line and curled a pass back to Gaudette in the slot for the goal. MacKinnon made it 2-1 with a power-play goal at 7:51 of the second, blasting a one-time slapper from the top of the left faceoff circle past Demko.

Kadri made it a two-goal game at 11:28, taking a cross-ice stretch pass from Makar at the blue line and beating Demko to the short side. Gaudette scored on a one-timer from the bottom of the right faceoff circle with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second, pulling the Canucks within 3-2.

Burakovsky restored the two-goal lead at 6:09 of the third off a slick cross-ice pass from MacKinnon.

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