DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche gave public-address announcer Alan Roach plenty to call Sunday night at Ball Arena, scoring four times over the final two periods for a 4-1 preseason victory over the Utah Mammoth. Beckett Hamilton and Taylor Makar both scored in their preseason NHL debuts, while Gavin Brindley and Brock Nelson also found the net.
Colorado dictated much of the opening period but could not break through until 8:54 of the second, when Hamilton finished from the right side of the crease after Martin Necas knocked down a pass from Utah defenseman Maveric Lamoureux and turned it into a chance. Utah answered late in the period when Yegor Borikov scored from the doorstep at 15:27 to send the game to the second intermission tied 1-1.
Brindley put Colorado back in front just 1:52 into the third, finishing a two-on-one rush with Nazem Kadri. Utah challenged the goal for offsides, but the call stood and the failed challenge resulted in a delay-of-game power play for Colorado. The Avalanche converted quickly as Artturi Lehkonen found Nelson in the high slot for a one-timer at 2:27 to make it 3-1. Makar sealed the win at 17:27 after Brindley chipped the puck out of the neutral zone to spring him on a partial breakaway.
Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all seven shots he faced as the starter before giving way to Ilya Nabokov, who made 16 saves on 17 shots in his preseason NHL debut. Necas, Kadri, Lehkonen, Devon Toews, Brindley and T.J. Hughes each recorded an assist. Colorado heads north for its second preseason game Monday against the Winnipeg Jets at 6 p.m. MT on Altitude Sports Radio 950 AM.