DENVER (AP) — Brent Burns and Martin Necas scored early and the Colorado Avalanche held on to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Friday night for their fourth straight win.
Parker Kelly also scored for the Avalanche, who are 6-0-1 since their last regulation loss, a 6-3 defeat at the New York Islanders on Dec. 4. Scott Wedgewood finished with 20 saves.
Colorado has won 12 straight at home to move to 14-0-2 at Ball Arena this season with the 16-game home point streak the fourth longest in franchise history — and longest since going 20-0-2 in 2021-22. At 25-2-7 the Avalanche have 57 points — tied with the 2022-23 Boston Bruins and 2008-09 San Jose Sharks for the second-most in NHL history through 34 games.
Morgan Barron and Mark Scheifele scored for Winnipeg, which has lost three straight (0-2-1). Connor Hellebuyck had 24 saves.
Trailing 2-0, Winnipeg got on the scoreboard with a short-handed goal with 38 seconds remaining in the second period. Barron chased a loose puck down the ice, skated across in front of Wedgewood and tucked a backhander past the goalie for his sixth of the season.
Kelly restored Colorado’s two-goal lead 1:58 into the third, deflecting a shot by Valeri Nichushkin past a screened Hellebuyck.
Scheifele pulled the Jets to 3-2 with a power-play goal at 3:38, deflecting a pass from Gustav Nyquist past Wedgewood from the left doorstep. It was Scheifele’s 17th.
Burns gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 9:45 of the first period. Burns sent a pass towards Jack Drury that deflected off the skate of Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury and past Hellebuyck for his fifth.
Necas doubled the lead with 4:55 remaining in the opening period as he got a pass from Nathan MacKinnon on an Avalanche rush and put it past Hellebuyck for his 15th. MacKinnon got his NHL-leading 59th point and 31st assist to tie Necas for the team lead.
Up next
Jets: At Utah on Sunday to finish a three-game trip.
Avalanche: At Minnesota on Sunday.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/nhl