Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar were out of the lineup on Saturday, but the Colorado Avalanche still handed the Canadiens their first regulation loss in their last 13 games. Artturi Lehkonen stung his former team by scoring the insurance goal in the third period, and the Montreal squad fell 4-1. It was already the Finns’ 15th goal of the season. Nick Suzuki was the Canadiens’ lone goal-scorer; the team now has a 9-1-3 record over its last 13 games. Without its usual offensive firepower, the Avalanche capitalized on contributions from Fedor Svechkov and Brock Nelson, who both beat Jakub Dobes. Dobes made 26 saves. Nicolas Roy rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 24 shots to earn his 11th win in 16 games during the 2026-27 season. He remains undefeated in regulation in nine games against the Canadiens (7-0-2) since his NHL debut. The Denver club announced earlier Saturday that MacKinnon will miss at least one month of action, while Makar will be sidelined for about two weeks. As a result, American defenseman Alex Gagne made his NHL debut at age 24. The Habs, for their part, revealed that Chris Kreider will be on the injured list for six to eight weeks due to a lower-body injury. The forward was injured during Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins. Quebec-born defenseman Mike Matheson, who returned to action against the Bruins after missing six games, was once again absent from the lineup on Saturday. The Canadiens will return to action on Monday, when they begin a three-game road trip against the New York Rangers. A rare false start The Canadiens came out strong in this game, but it was the Avalanche who opened the scoring with their first shot of the game at 3:57. Svechkov and Parker Kelly broke away on a two-on-one, and Svechkov’s pass deflected off Adam Engström’s skate and found its way past Dobes. Alex Newhook nearly broke away later, but his one-handed shot—as he tried to shake off his defender—was stopped by Blackwood. Nelson doubled the visitors’ lead while a delayed penalty had been called against the Canadiens. He fired a one-timer from the faceoff circle to Dobes’ right off a pass from Lehkonen. It was Nelson’s 22nd goal and 33rd point in 35 career games against the Canadiens. The Avalanche thus led 2-0 after 20 minutes of play. It was the first time the Canadiens had trailed after the first period this season, as the team played its 20th game. Suzuki helped Martin St-Louis’s squad cut the deficit with a solo effort at 10:25 of the second period. The captain took a pass from Juraj Slafkovsky, spun around to shake off two defenders, and scored his eighth goal with a backhand shot. Cole Caufield assisted on the goal, extending his streak to six games with at least one point (four goals, three assists). The Avalanche earned a fourth power play in the third period and didn’t miss their chance. Lehkonen took advantage of the confusion in Dobes’s crease—following two noteworthy saves—to put the puck into an empty net. Nazem Kadri then taunted Dobes, sparking a scuffle in front of the net that, however, did not result in any penalties. Newhook thought he had cut the Avalanche’s lead by one goal by deflecting a shot from Kirby Dach at 9:05. However, the officials used video review to check whether the forward had touched the puck higher than allowed, which they confirmed moments later. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 15, 2026.
