Avalanche 4, Blue Jackets 0
DENVER -- Matt Duchene scored twice and set up another goal, Semyon Varlamov had 33 saves for his ninth career shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 on Thursday night.
P.A. Parenteau had a goal and an assist and John Mitchell also scored for the Avalanche. Milan Hejduk added two assists.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 24 shots for the Blue Jackets, who have dropped two straight.
Colorado wasted no time in jumping in front. Parenteau took advantage of a Blue Jackets' line change when he took a cross-ice pass from Duchene and beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot 51 seconds into the game.
The Avalanche made it 2-0 later in the period when Duchene, double shifting on the third line, knocked in Hejduk's rebound with 7:35 left in the first frame.
The Blue Jackets had a few chances in the second to get on the board but Varlamov was solid. His best save came late in the period when he stretched out with the left pad to deny Nick Foligno on a close-in shot.
He came up big again early in the third when Ryan Johansen got behind the Avalanche defense and tipped a pass into Varlamov's chest.
A few shifts later, Mitchell beat Bobrovsky from the slot to make it 3-0. Duchene scored again, this time on a breakaway in the final two minutes to ice it.
Columbus also had plenty of chances on the power play but couldn't cash in on any of its six opportunities.
NOTES: The Avalanche recalled C Brad Malone from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League to take the roster spot of LW Steve Downie. Downie is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in Tuesday's win over Los Angeles. Malone was a healthy scratch Thursday. ... Colorado LW Chuck Kobasew played for the first time this season. He was scratched from the first two games with an illness. ... Columbus LW Vinny Prospal needs one power-play goal to tie Petr Klima for seventh all-time among Czech-born NHL players. ... Avalanche F John Mitchell was hit in the face on a shot by Columbus D Adrian Aucoin early in the first period and went to the locker room. He didn't play another shift in the frame but did return to the ice early in the second.
