Lehkonen scores two as Avalanche beat Canadiens

MONTREAL (AP) — Artturi Lehkonen scored twice in Colorado's four-goal first period, and the Avalanche beat the Montreal Canadiens 8-4 Monday night.

Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and two assists, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, and Nathan MacKinnon, J.T. Compher, Matt Nieto and Bowen Byram also scored for the Avalanche, who won for the third time in four games.

Cale Makar had three assists, and Devon Toews and Logan O'Connor each had two. Alexandar Georgiev finished with 15 saves.

Josh Anderson had a goal and an assist, and Chris Wideman, Mike Matheson and Denis Gurianov also scored as the Canadiens lost their seventh straight (0-5-2). Nick Suzuki had two assists.

Jake Allen started in goal and was pulled early in the second quarter after giving up six goals on 15 shots. Sam Montembault came on and finished with 16 saves.

Lehkonen, Byram and Nieto scored 5:06 apart to give the Avalanche a 3-0 lead a little more than eight minutes into the game. Lehkonen converted on a power play for his second of the night and 20th of the season with four minutes left in the first to make it 4-0.

Anderson deflected Johnathan Kovacevic's shot past Georgiev to get Montreal on the scoreboard with 1:02 left in the opening period. It was his 20th.

Rantanen scored his 43 and Compher had his 14th to push Colorado's lead to 6-1 at 3:58 of the second, ending Allen's night.

Gurianov had a power-play goal with 42 seconds left in the middle period to pull the Canadiens within four.

MacKinnon scored his 29th for the Avalanche's second of three power-play goals of the game to make it 7-2 at 8:09 of the third.

Wideman scored his first of the season 39 seconds later and Matheson got his sixth with 9:25 left to cut Montreal's deficit to three.

Nichushkin deflected Makar's point shot from between the circles down out of the air and past Montembault with 6:51 remaining.

UP NEXT

Avalanche: At Toronto on Wednesday night in the second of a four-game trip.

Canadiens: At Pittsburgh on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game trip.

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