Brock Nelson Dominates as Colorado Rolls to 7–2 Win

DENVER —  Brock Nelson orchestrated a masterclass on Saturday at Ball Arena, assembling a two-goal, two-assist performance as the Avalanche dispatched the Montreal Canadiens in a commanding 7–2 triumph. Gabriel Landeskog contributed a pair of goals of his own, while Brent Burns, Nathan MacKinnon, and Devon Toews each added singular tallies to the ledger. Between the pipes, Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 17 of 19 shots to keep his impressive run alive.

Nelson now has 11 points in his last nine games.

The supporting cast was no less fantastic: Martin Nečas posted three assists, and Artturi Lehkonen furnished two more.

With the win, Colorado advanced to an imposing and league-best 18-1-6 record.

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Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson scored for Montreal. Jakub Dobeš made 29 saves in defeat.

The afternoon belonged, unmistakably, to Nelson. After serving a high-sticking minor at 16:10—killed off with crucial, composed stops from Blackwood, Nelson reemerged not chastened but focused Lehkonen’s diagonal feed from the right flank found Nelson slicing through the neutral zone, where he promptly dispatched a wrist shot past Dobeš’ glove. With that strike, Nelson reached his 600th career point and did it in style.

Moments later, Nelson appeared to strike once more at least at first glance. As he released his shot, Gabriel Landeskog was sent careening into the crease after a forceful shove from Josh Anderson. Montreal promptly challenged the play for goaltender interference, yet the initial review affirmed that Anderson’s contact was the catalyst for Landeskog’s collision with the net, allowing the goal to stand.

However, a subsequent and more granular league review revealed a subtle but decisive detail. Landeskog had grazed the puck after Nelson’s release, and the NHL accordingly reassigned credit, awarding the goal to Landeskog.

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Off a clean draw won by Nelson, Burns uncorked a shot through a screen by Landeskog. The…