Avalanche overpowered by Capitals to close out road trip

After edging the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins the night before, the Colorado Avalanche went to Washington with one goal on their mind — extending this winning streak to three straight games.

However, things would not turn out that way, as the Capitals would cruise to a 5-2 victory over the Avalanche.

It would be the Capitals who would strike first, as Jakub Vrana received a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov in the left circle, and he fired a shot top-shelf to beat Semyon Varlamov at the 5:25 mark of the first period.

The Capitals would continue to earn multiple chances to extend the lead in the first period, as they controlled most of the opening frame. However, Varlamov and the Avalanche would be able to hold the Capitals to the one-goal lead.

The Avalanche tied up the game at the 5:47 mark of the second period when Colin Wilson received a pass from Matt Nieto behind the net and buried a rebound past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby.

At the 17:42 mark of the second period, following a failed clearing attempt by the Avalanche, Capitals defenseman John Carlson rifled a shot from the point that would beat Varlamov to give the Capitals the 2-1 lead.

At the 5:15 mark of the third period, the Capitals extended their lead, as Brett Connolly wired a shot past Varlamov from the dot of the left circle.

The Capitals would extend the lead again, as Evgeny Kuznetsov fed a pass to Matt Niskanen in the slot, where Niskanen wired a shot past Varlamov, giving the Capitals the 4-1 lead over the Avalanche.

At the 1:03 mark of the third period, the Avalanche got a goal of their own as Tyson Jost controlled the puck in the slot, and fire a backhand shot past Holtby — cutting the deficit to only two goals behind the Capitals.

However, the Capitals would convert on an Avalanche empty net, coming away with the 5-2 victory over the Avalanche.

The loss brings the Avalanche to a 14-14-2 record on the season, and they will look to get back to their winning ways against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, December 14th at the Pepsi Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM MST and will be televised on Altitude Sports Network.