Avalanche start Cup title defense with 5-2 victory over Blackhawks

DENVER — Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin each scored two power-play goals, Mikko Rantanen contributed four assists and the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche kicked off their title defense with a resounding 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night at Ball Arena.

After raising their third Cup banner to the rafters, the Avalanche began the season right where they left off: scoring goals. Andrew Cogliano deflected a shot from Nathan MacKinnon, fresh off a new eight-year, $100.8 million extension to score Colorado's first marker of the season. He ended the game with two assists, while new goaltender Alexandar Georgiev stopped 15 of 17 shots.

Jonathan Toews and Max Domi, the son of former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Tie Domi, scored for the Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek got in a workout, finishing with 30 saves on 35 shots.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog missed the season-opener due to a lingering lower-body injury he sustained last season. The 29-year-old missed the final 23 games of the 2021-22 regular season after he had knee surgery on March 14. He returned for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and notched 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists). 

Despite the setback, Landeskog was front and center for the pre-game festivities, hoisting the Cup and skating around with the trophy. Jack Johnson, who signed with the Blackhawks in the offseason, also joined his former teammates for the on-ice pictures. And in what has become the official anthem of the Avalanche, Blink-182 led a sing-along of the band's hit "All The Small Things."