Avalanche top Blackhawks, keep pace in wild-card race

DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche kept pace in the wild-card race in the Western Conference with a 5-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Pepsi Center on Friday.
The Avalanche (42-28-8) and St. Louis Blues each have 92 points, but the Blues own the tiebreaker for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs because they have played one fewer game.

WATCH: [All Blackhawks vs. Avalanche highlights]
"We have to take care of our business, that's all we can do," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "I know those teams are playing each other a little bit. All we can do is take care of what we can control, play our games and try to get points every night.
"At the end, the chips will lie where they do. We'll either be in or we're out. The most important thing is we're coming ready to play and to compete for those two points every night. The only standings that matter is next Saturday."

Sven Andrighetto scored two goals, Tyson Barrie had a goal and two assists, and Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist for Colorado.
Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves before leaving with 6:25 left in the third period with a lower-body injury after Blackhawks forward Tomas Jurco slid into him in the crease. Jonathan Bernier replaced him and made three saves.
Collin Delia made 31 saves for the Blackhawks (32-37-10), who are 2-1-1 in their past four games and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
"They're good, very skilled," Delia said. "Move the puck very well, a very fast pace. It's good for me to get in there and see that, see a dominant team like them, how they move the puck, to get my timing down. It's good."
Andrighetto scored a power-play goal to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 18:54 of the first period. After receiving a pass from Samuel Girard, Andrighetto split two Blackhawks defensemen before beating Delia glove side.
"I just tried to get as much speed as I could on the power play breakout," said Andrighetto, who missed the past three games with a lower-body injury. "With a man advantage, we have more room. I saw the room and I took it."

Barrie scored on a one-timer on a 4-on-3 power play to make it 2-0 at 8:14 of the second period before he knocked Blackhawks forward Victor Ejdsell's shot off the goal line at 14:12 of the second to maintain the two-goal lead.
"The save was nice," Barrie said. "You don't want to put yourself in that position too many times. It was probably my fault that the puck was even that close to the goal line. It was a reactionary thing. You see the puck heading over and you just want to try to get a stick on it. I was lucky it wasn't rolling too bad or I wouldn't have been able to do the job."
Rantanen made it 3-0 at 6:25 of the third period, scoring a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Nathan MacKinnon.
The Avalanche went 3-3 on the power play after going 1-13 in the previous four games.
"It was good," Rantanen said. "We've been struggling, so it was good to get three goals and get some confidence. The 4-on-3, we were moving it around. Mine, Nate made a great pass, tape to tape, forehand to forehand. That's the biggest key, get their four guys moving and open up the seam."
Tyson Jost scored off a 3-on-1 at 8:39 to make it 4-0, and Andrighetto scored at 17:51 to extend it to 5-0.

Goal of the game

Andrighetto's goal at 18:54 of the first period.

Save of the game

Varlamov's save on Brent Seabrook at 14:45 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Barrie knocks Ejdsell's shot off the goal line at 14:12 of the second period.

They said it

"We knew what was on the line, every point is huge. The next game is even bigger than the one we just had. Definitely a big win for us, and we have to keep it going." -- Avalanche forward Sven Andrighetto
"He was good. He played really well against us last game at home too. He seemed to win the game for them. He's a good goalie. He seems to be really athletic in the net. It seems to work out well." -- Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy on Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov

Need to know

Varlamov and Bernier combined for the first team shutout in Quebec Nordiques/Avalanche history. ... Colorado went 3-0-1 against Chicago this season. ... Barrie has an career-high 55 points (13 goals, 42 assists). ... Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson was scratched with a lower-body injury. ... Blackhawks defenseman Blake Hillman had three hits and three blocks in 19:18 in his NHL debut after signing a two-year, entry-level contract Tuesday.

What's next

Blackhawks: At the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)
Avalanche:At the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday (9 p.m. ET; SN, SN360, PRIME, ALT, NHL.TV)