Pierre-Edouard Bellemare seems to thrive when playing against his former team, and Monday night was no exception. Bellemare and Nazem Kadri scored two goals, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a decisive 7-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Bellemare, who spent the first two years of Vegas’ existence with the team, has now scored half of his six goals this season at T-Mobile Arena.
“This building has been good to me the last couple of years,” Bellemare said after his first multi-goal game. “Crazy bounces, crazy luck, crazy plays — I feel good when I play here.”
Bellemare opened the scoring for Colorado in the first period, taking a pass from J.T. Compher and backhanding it past former teammate Marc-Andre Fleury. He added a second goal late in the second period, helping the Avalanche build a three-goal lead.
“Sometimes you get the puck luck,” Bellemare said. “I’ve never scored like this on Flower before, so it’s just one of those nights.”
Vegas coach Gerard Gallant quipped, “He sure loves playing against us, doesn’t he? Maybe he didn’t like me at all.”
Bellemare is on pace to surpass his career-best season with seven goals and 16 points. He credited Colorado’s system and his increased confidence for his offensive surge. “They’ve given me more opportunities, and I’m feeling more confident,” Bellemare said.
The Avalanche improved to 7-3-1 in December and are now 15-6-1 since Nov. 7. Heading into the holiday break, they were tied for their best first-half performance with 51 points, matching their total from the 2000-01 season. They also bolstered their road record to 13-6-1, tied for the second-most road wins in the NHL.
“With all the injuries and adversity we’ve faced, it’s great to see the depth we’ve built paying off,” said Colorado coach Jared Bednar.
Goaltender Pavel Francouz continued his hot streak, stopping 29 of 32 shots to improve to 9-0-1 in his last 12 games. His strong play has been a key to Colorado’s success during their recent stretch.
Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Fleury, who came into the game with a solid 5-1-1 run in his last seven home starts, made 31 saves but struggled against Colorado’s relentless attack.
Matt Nieto, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Valeri Nichushkin also scored for the Avalanche.
Vegas got goals from Ryan Reaves, Max Pacioretty, and William Carrier. Still, the highlight of the game for the Golden Knights came when 37-year-old Deryk Engelland fired up the crowd with a spirited fight against 24-year-old Nichushkin.
Game Notes:
- Colorado defenseman Cale Makar missed his eighth straight game due to an upper-body injury but is expected to return Friday against Minnesota.
- Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played in his 600th career game, becoming the 10th player in franchise history to reach the milestone.
- The Avalanche have now outscored the Golden Knights 20-7 in their last four meetings.
- Fleury remains one win shy of tying Curtis Joseph for sixth on the all-time wins list.
Up Next:
- Avalanche: Host the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
- Golden Knights: Visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.