Stewart ends marathon shootout to give Avs win
Last Updated: Saturday, November 7, 2009 | 1:42 AM ET
The Associated Press
Chris Stewart formulated a plan as he fidgeted on the bench, readying himself just in case the shootout dragged out that long.
When his turn came, Stewart went to work, skating down the side, cutting over and lining the puck under the pads of Chicago goalie Antti Niemi, just as he envisioned.
Stewart scored in the eighth round of the shootout, helping the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche remain unbeaten at home with a 4-3 victory over the Blackhawks on Friday night.
In truth, Stewart's plan of action wasn't entirely unique. He picked it up from teammate Milan Hejduk.
"I just came off the wing and did the old Hejduk: Shoot low blocker," Stewart said.
Dustin Byfuglien had a chance to tie but sent his slapshot just wide.
The two teams engaged in a nine-round shootout on Oct. 10, with the Blackhawks winning.
Brent Seabrook thinks he knows why.
"We both have good goaltenders and good shooters," the Chicago defenceman said.
Ryan O'Reilly scored twice for Colorado in regulation, while David Jones added a short-handed goal.
The Avalanche moved to 6-0 at the Pepsi Center this season, matching the franchise record for consecutive home wins to start a season.
Byfuglien, Duncan Keith and Andrew Ladd scored for the Blackhawks, who lost for the second straight night.
Tired legs? Troy Brouwer didn't feel that was the case.
"We have a couple of days off, so the back-to-back games aren't too bad," he said. "We came out and had a great start, but we weren't able to maintain it throughout the game."
Craig Anderson returned to the net after receiving a rare night off. The Avalanche goalie stopped 29 shots, including a vital save in overtime when he turned back Patrick Sharp's shot.
"He gives us a chance to win every night and he did it again tonight," Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said.
Budaj in for Anderson
Anderson had his string of 15 straight starts interrupted Wednesday night when he was subbed out for Peter Budaj, who was back after a bout with swine flu.
The Avalanche missed their first two attempts in the shootout, while Patrick Kane scored as he dribbled a puck through Anderson's legs.
Antti Niemi had a chance to preserve the win, only to have Colorado's final shooter, Marek Svatos, score high on him to force extra rounds.
Niemi finished with 19 saves.
Chicago had two quality cracks at knocking in the winner in the final minute of regulation, but John Madden's shot sailed just wide of the net and Tomas Kopecky sent one over the goal.
O'Reilly and Jones scored 59 seconds apart in the second period to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead. Jones had a short-handed goal as he flew down the left side and flipped the puck past Niemi. It was Jones' second goal this season with the Avalanche a skater down.
Late in the second, Chicago tied the game 3-3 when Ladd poked in the puck that was sitting in front of the net.
Both teams boast a bench full of youthful energy, with the average age on each roster just a shade under 27 years old.
However, Chicago was without one of its young stars, captain Jonathan Toews, who missed a sixth straight game with a concussion.
Kane and Kris Versteeg helped picked up the slack, each assisting on two goals in an entertaining first period.
