Avalanche defeat Blue Jackets, extend season-opening point streak to 5

COLUMBUS -- Valeri Nichushkin scored his first two goals of the season, and the Colorado Avalanche extended their season-opening point streak to five games with a 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

Brock Nelson also scored his first of the season, Cale Makar had a goal and an assist, and Scott Wedgewood made 22 saves for the Avalanche (4-0-1).

“I liked our game,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “Best part definitely was the second period. Disciplined. It was hardworking. We played with a good conscience on the defensive side of things.”

Ivan Provorov scored, and Elvis Merzlikins made 32 saves for the Blue Jackets (1-3-0).

“That’s a good team, but we probably gave them way too much respect and didn’t get to our game and play the way we play, and that was the disappointing thing tonight,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said.

“They have good players and so do we. That’s not how we play. We were passive tonight. We were soft. We’ve got to play hard. If we’re going to win hockey games, we’ve got to play hard and we didn’t play hard enough tonight to win.”

Provorov gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 1:36 of the second period, scoring with a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Kirill Marchenko.

Makar tied it 1-1 at 10:34 with a wrist shot through a screen from above the left circle.

“I liked our team game from the get-go, and then we seemed to take over as that second period went on,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said.

Nelson put the Avalanche ahead 2-1 at 11:46 by redirecting Brent Burns' slap shot from the point five-hole on Merzlikins.

“A good job by [Burns] waiting to set it up,” Nelson said. “It was perfect.”

Dmitri Voronkov appeared to score for the Blue Jackets at 16:15, but the referees immediately waived the goal off because the forward illegally batted the puck into the net after it first hit his chest.

Instead of a tied game, Nichushkin then extended the lead to 3-1 with just four seconds remaining in the period. He got inside position in front and redirected a shot by Sam Malinski under the glove of Merzlikins.

“The whole game they were putting the pressure on,” Merzlikins said. “Couple of unfortunate situations, two tips and one I couldn’t completely see it.”

The Blue Jackets had another goal immediately waived off at 16:57 of the third period, this time because of a hand pass from Cole Sillinger.

Nichushkin followed that up again by scoring into an empty net at 18:07 for the 4-1 final.

“We played a good, full game again,” Wedgewood said. “We got down first. That’s the first time in a couple of games. We responded pretty well ... and held them off in the third. It was a pretty good game all around.”

NOTES: Makar played his 400th NHL game. He ranks third in points (435) and fifth in goals (118) among defensemen in NHL history through 400 games. ... Necas has nine points (three goals, six assists) on a five-game point streak. ... Marchenko has five points (four goals, one assist) on a three-game point streak. ... Forward Cam Atkinson officially retired from the NHL after 13 seasons. The 36-year-old signed a one-day contract with Columbus on Thursday and took one final lap around Nationwide Arena while wearing his No. 13 prior to the game. Selected by the Blue Jackets in the sixth round (No. 157) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Atkinson ranks second in their history with 402 points (213 goals, 189 assists). … Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov was minus-1 in 9:00 of ice time in his season debut. He had been scratched the first three games but replaced injured forward Miles Wood (upper body).