Carlsson gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 6:05 of the first period when, in the middle of a scrum at the front of the net, he spotted a loose puck along Georgiev's leg pad and knocked it in.

Strome made it 2-0 at 19:36 after knocking down the rebound from Brian Dumoulin's first shot.

“Maybe the positives were just based on the amount we had to defend tonight, I thought our D-zone structure was fine for the most part,” Terry said. “They will have their space and time because some of their players are so dynamic. With the outbreaks it fell apart for us. The forwards aren’t working to get spots for the “D” or whatever. We just seemed disconnected during outbreaks.”

Mittelstadt cut the lead to 2-1 with a breakaway 57 seconds into the second period. Nikolai Kovalenko found him in the neutral zone before Mittelstadt finished with a forehand-backhand movement over Dostal's leg.

“At the end of the day, this group has a lot of stamina tonight, and that’s all you could ask for,” Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said. “Everyone was super committed, in and out. In between everyone was chatty. We knew this was a game about getting the 'W.'

Colton tied the score at 2-2 with a power play goal 35 seconds into the third period. Mittelstadt passed from the left circle during a 5-on-3 to Colton, who scored a one-timer from the slot.

Colton's second goal gave the Avalanche a 3-2 lead at 11:42. He scored below the left marker when he directed Rantanen's centering pass behind the net into the goal.

“I’m just trying to play my game,” Colton said. “Being able to play with Mikko and Nate somehow makes it easier for me out there. Try to play quickly, defend the pucks and get into the open areas. Because again, two of the best players in the league will find you if you’re open.”

NOTES: Makar extended his early-season points streak to five games (one goal, eight assists) and became the first defenseman in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to do so multiple times (2019-20). … MacKinnon scored his 14th overtime goal, extending his Avalanche/Nordiques record. … Mittelstadt's goal was his 200th NHL point. … Kovalenko scored his first NHL point with an assist on Mittelstadt's goal. It was Kovalenko's fifth game.