Avs top Canucks in OT on MacKinnon's winner

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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