Avalanche 2, Blackhawks 0: Semyon Varlamov registered his 16th career shutout with a spectacular 54-save performance as visiting Colorado beat Chicago for the first time in three meetings this season.

Nathan MacKinnon scored one goal and set up another in the first 77 seconds of the contest, Max Talbot also tallied and John Mitchell added a pair of assists to lift the Avalanche to their third win in four games. Varlamov was immense in making the early lead hold up, turning aside 17 shots in the first period, 21 in the second and 16 more in the third en route to his third shutout of the season.

Varlamov, making his fifth consecutive start, finished five saves shy of the NHL record in a regulation blanking. Corey Crawford stopped 22 shots in absorbing his third loss in four games for the Blackhawks, who unleashed a season-high shot total.

The fans had yet to settle into their seats when MacKinnon opened the scoring 53 seconds into the game, corralling a rebound near the bottom of the right faceoff circle and rifling a shot over Crawford. It marked the sixth consecutive game in which Chicago surrendered the first goal.

MacKinnon broke in alone seconds later and was denied by Crawford, but Talbot poked in the puck from the doorstep for a quick 2-0 advantage. The Blackhawks pulled Crawford with 2:40 to play, and it nearly paid immediate dividends as Brandon Saad stuffed the puck past Varlamov, but it occurred after the whistle had blown.

GAME NOTEBOOK: MacKinnon scored only his second goal in 22 games. ... The Blackhawks had their streak of four straight contests with a power-play goal halted, failing on both of their chances. ... Crawford has allowed multiple first-period tallies in five of his last six starts.