Makar cut it to 4-2 with a power-play goal at 11:15 on a slap shot from the point.
Rantanen made it 4-3 with a power-play goal at 4:52 of the third period, one-timing a pass from Makar at the right face-off dot.
“I think we did a lot of good things (in the third period). I think there was desperation there, which is good. I think we all wanted to see some desperation of the team,” Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson said. “We did a lot of good things. Can’t look at it and go, ‘No, it [stinks]. Throw it away.’ But at the end of the day, it’s still not good enough. You want to win in this league, you got to be perfect.”
John Beecher scored an empty-net goal at 17:59 for the 5-3 final after MacKinnon lost the puck at center ice.
NOTES: Colorado leads the NHL with a 50 percent success rate on the power play. Makar’s seven assists is the most by a defenseman in his first four games of the season in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history. … Matt Stienburg made his NHL debut for the Avalanche and finished minus-1 with five penalty minutes in 4:36 of ice time. … Wood left the game at 6:17 of the third period with an undisclosed injury after taking a hit from Elias Lindholm. There was no update on his status.
