Colorado won 4-1 in Montreal after confirming Nathan MacKinnon will miss at least a month and Cale Makar about two weeks

MONTREAL – National Sports News – The Colorado Avalanche ended the Montreal Canadiens’ 12-game point streak with a 4-1 win Saturday, then left Bell Centre with proof they can collect points while two of their biggest stars recover from injury.

Nathan MacKinnon will be out at least one month and Cale Makar is expected to miss about two weeks, according to Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. Both players suffered lower-body injuries Thursday in Ottawa. MacKinnon entered the weekend leading Colorado with 30 points, while Makar had 23 points in 19 games.

Colorado responded with a controlled road win. Fedor Svechkov and Brock Nelson scored in the first period. Montreal captain Nick Suzuki cut the lead to 2-1 with a spinning backhand in the second, but former Canadien Artturi Lehkonen restored the two-goal margin on a third-period power play. Nicolas Roy added an empty-net goal.

Montreal thought it had pulled within one midway through the third when Alex Newhook redirected a shot. Video review overturned the goal because Newhook’s stick was above the crossbar.

The loss was Montreal’s first in regulation since Oct. 14. The Canadiens went 9-0-3 during the point streak and are now 12-4-4. Colorado improved to 12-6-3 and extended its own point streak to five games.

The Canadiens were also without forward Chris Kreider, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury suffered Thursday in Boston. His absence adds another lineup test as Montreal begins a three-game road trip Monday against the New York Rangers.

Brent Burns reached 1,600 regular-season games for Colorado, becoming the 14th player in NHL history to hit the mark. The larger immediate issue, however, is how the Avalanche replace MacKinnon’s offence and Makar’s minutes. Saturday’s balanced effort was a strong first answer, even if the challenge will last for weeks.