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The chilling mountain air in Colorado seemed to freeze the Blackhawks’ offensive efforts solid, despite two periods of hard-fought, scoreless hockey, as the Avalanche, with a ruthless efficiency that has become their hallmark, skated to a 3-0 shutout victory on Monday, March 10th, extending their win streak to a formidable six games while simultaneously shattering Chicago’s five-game point streak. Artyom Levshunov’s NHL debut revealed a solid, well-rounded performance, with a noticeable impact on both ends of the ice. Scott Wedgewood delivered a masterful performance in net, securing his second shutout of the season and eighth of his NHL career with a composed 21-save effort. The Avalanche will head out on the road for two games, starting with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, before returning home to host the Dallas Stars. The Blackhawks continue their road trip on Thursday in San Jose, hoping to make a comeback after this shutout.
Colorado Avalanche Lineup:
Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Necas
Drouin – Nelson – Nichushkin
Kiviranta – Coyle – Colton
Wood – Drury – Vesey
Toews – Makar
Lindgren – Manson
Girard – Johnson
Wedgewood
Blackwood
Chicago Blackhawks Lineup:
Dach – Bedard – Dickinson
Teravainen – Donato – Mikheyev
Slaggert – Nazar – Foligno
Reichel – Veleno – Bertuzzi
Del Mastro – Murphy
Vlasic – Kaiser
Martinez – Levshunov
Knight
Soderblom
After two scoreless periods and what appeared to be a goal by Martin Necas in the first period, but was successfully challenged for offsides, Atturi Lehkonen found the back of the net early in the opening minute of the third frame. Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck around behind the net, coming out from the right side, and skated down near the blue line to pass it off to Devon Toews. From the blue line far side, Toews fired and Lehkonen redirected it past Spencer Knight for his 27th goal of the season to put the Avalanche ahead 1-0. Necas put one past Knight at 16:33 of the third to make it 2-0 from the left hash marks, going top shelf over Knight’s glove on a wrist shot after he took a pass from MacKinnon, who got ahold of the puck by the right boards before skating up and finding Necas in the left circle. With 54 seconds remaining in regulation, Joel Kiviranta struck the empty Chicago net for the 3-0 final.
Nick Foligno on performance and the loss: “That’s what sucks. You feel like you probably play one of your better games in a while, even though we’ve gotten points in the past few. We were dialed in. We were dominating some aspects of the game. That’s a good team over there, obviously, and when you don’t get any run support, it’s tough to beat a team like that, that you kind of let hang around, and they have enough skill to make you pay. That’s what they did tonight. A good lesson for us, but we got to be proud of the way we were playing, especially the past six here.”
Game Notes:
– Nathan MacKinnon had a two-point night, which had gotten him to the 1,000-point mark. He’s the fourth-fastest active player to reach this mark, following Connor McDavid (659 GP), Sidney Crosby (757 GP), and Evgeni Malkin (848 GP). …MacKinnon is the 100th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. …He also became the third player to post 1,000 points in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history, joining both Joe Sakic (1,641) and Peter Stastny (1,048).
– MacKinnon extended his home point streak to 20 games.
– The Avalanche swept a six-game homestand for the first time in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history.
– CO: 39-24-2, CHI: 20-36-9
– Spencer Knight made a total of 18 saves for Chicago.
– The Blackhawks have lost two in a row and three of four.
– This is the first time this season where the Blackhawks were shutout. Last season, they were shutout 12 times.
– In his NHL debut, Artyom Levshunov had six shot attempts, three shots on goal, and two blocked shots in 20:55 of ice time.
– Jason Dickinson made his return to the lineup after having missed 11 games with a high ankle sprain. He finished minus-2 in 17:16 of ice time.
– During the third period, it appeared that Connor Bedard was going for The Michigan but decided against it.
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The Dallas Stars prospect no one is talking about but should be
The Dallas Stars prospect pool is full of talent with names like Lian Bichsel and Emil Hemming getting attention, but there is another rising defenseman who could surprise at training camp and become a key piece sooner than many fans expect. Christian Kyrou has been steadily climbing through the system, and his progress last season with the Texas Stars proved he may be closer to NHL action than most realize. Drafted in the second round back in 2022, the right-shot defenseman finished the 2024-25 season with 15 points in 36 AHL games while showcasing the same offensive instincts that made him a standout in junior hockey. What makes Kyrou intriguing is how his game translates at the professional level. His puck-moving ability and poise with the puck have drawn strong reviews from the Dallas front office, and he is starting to look like a player who could one day quarterback the power play. Christian Kyrou is positioning himself as the Dallas Stars' next breakout defenseman Assistant GM Mark Janko praised Kyrou's progress in a recent interview with Stars reporters. "He's been one of our most consistent puck movers in Texas. The decision-making is improving, and his instincts are hard to teach." For Dallas, the timing could not be better. With Nils Lundkvist still trying to lock down his place and the cap picture becoming tighter, an affordable option like Kyrou has major value. According to The Hockey News, his skillset fits perfectly with the NHL's trend toward mobile defenders who can move the puck quickly and contribute offensively. "He has the vision and confidence that you rarely see in young defensemen. If he keeps improving, he will force his way into the NHL lineup." I think Stars fans should pay close attention during training camp, because Kyrou might be the type of under-the-radar player who steals a roster spot.
Chicago Cubs’ surprising unsung hero may be gone after this season
The Chicago Cubs have had a lot of highlights this season, despite their recent downward trajectory and the bundles of frustration that go along with that. Surprisingly, there are almost as many breakthroughs and redemption stories among the pitching staff as there are among the more well-publicized position players. Playing the role of unsung hero and/or under-the-radar linchpin is the unlikely veteran Brad Keller, who seamlessly slid into a middle-relief role and has excelled. A Chicago Cubs’ unsung hero Brought into spring training as a non-roster invitee, the then-29-year-old Keller showcased more than a bit of the brilliance that he had occasionally touched upon over the previous seven years in his major league career. Thought to be little more than a depth piece by most, Keller surprised just about everyone, except manager Craig Counsell, who reportedly played a pivotal role in bringing him to the team. He even added upwards of 3.5 mph to his four-seam fastball en route to earning a spot on the Cubs’ 26-man roster. Keller’s top notch spring training run has extended into the regular season. So far this year, in 54.1 innings over 51 appearances, he’s posting an impressive 2.48 ERA with 55 strikeouts vs. 16 walks and a 58.3% groundball rate. Under-the-radar, but not unappreciated On Saturday, filling in for an under-the-weather Daniel Palencia, he struck out the side in the ninth inning to close out the Cubs’ 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. “If you’re not the closer, maybe, it doesn’t have a lot of fanfare on it, but Brad’s had an excellent season, a really valuable season for us,” Counsell told reporters after the game. “If there is such a thing as an unsung hero for this team so far, I would definitely nominate Brad for that…This is a different role for him starting this season and he’s responded really well to every challenge put in front of him…” The rocky road here Keller was drafted in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013, but was then selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, who proceeded to trade him to the Kansas City Royals. He impressed in his 2018 rookie season, working as both a starter and a reliever, with a 3.08 ERA in 41 games. He would eventually go on to earn a full-time starter gig with the Royals, but have diminishing success in that role after the Covid-shortened 2020 season. He was then put back in a swing man role before eventually becoming a free agent at the end of 2023. Last season, he delivered a 5.44 ERA in 16 games split between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. He was brought to spring training by the Cubs as a non-roster invitee, eventually earning a roster spot in the bullpen and a modest $1.5 million contract. He’ll be a free agent once again at the end of this season and there’s zero doubt that his asking price will go up significantly. “This is a pitcher who had big success in the league at a younger age,” Counsell told The Athletic back in late February. “I always take note of that. It’s in there. That’s the guy we want.” And the Cubs got that guy they wanted. Now, the question turns to whether the team will pay the price to keep him.
Milwaukee Brewers: Craig Counsell Blasts Former Team’s 14-Game Winning Streak, Gets Caught Lying
Indiana Fever Star Had Words After Sophie Cunningham's Injury on Sunday
The Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 99-93 in overtime on Sunday, but Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham left the game with a right knee injury and did not return. Already playing without point guards Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, the blow to Cunningham continued a brutal trend of injuries in the Indiana backcourt during the 2025 WNBA season. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell took over for the Fever, tying her career high with 38 points — including 34 after halftime and 10 in overtime. Mitchell's heroics helped erase a 21-point deficit, the largest comeback win in franchise history. After the game, Mitchell opened up about the feeling of seeing Cunningham go down. She said it was like "deja vu," but it also served as motivation for the Fever star. Indiana Fever Playing for Each Other Amid Injuries "Seeing Soph go down, it fuels you if you care about your team and you care about the people in your locker room," Mitchell said. "I can’t even explain it to y’all," added the eighth-year WNBA veteran, full of emotion. "You just really got to care about the people that you play with. It just fuels who we are as people, and y’all get to see it as a team for us.” Cunningham is averaging 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 made three-pointers per game this season. Her attitude aligns with Mitchell's words, too. Cunningham has been open about the responsibility she felt to stand up for Clark when the Fever and Sun met earlier in the season. Head coach Stephanie White also spoke about the team's resiliency after losing another player to injury. "They got something inside of them that you just can't teach," White said. "They bring it out of each other. It allows us to go through these incredibly tough times we're going through." Sophie Cunningham Injury Update White was not able to provide an update on Cunningham's status in the aftermath of the emotional overtime win on Sunday. She is expected to have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, which occurred when Connecticut guard Bria Hartley fell and made contact with her standing right leg.
Red Sox Land Silver Slugger, Gold Glove Winner: Breaking
The Boston Red Sox have had questions at first base since Triston Casas suffered his season-ending knee injury. There have been questions about the position ever since, but it seems like Boston is at least trying to bring another slugger to town. Recently, the Washington Nationals designated Nathaniel Lowe for assignment in a somewhat surprising move. Lowe had 16 homers and 68 RBIs for the Nationals before the decision was made. While this is the case, he was slashing .216/.292/.373 in 119 games played. Lowe was one of the best hitting first basemen in baseball over the last few years, but the 2025 season hasn't quite been his year. In 2024, he slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs in 140 games played for Texas Rangers. The year before, he won a Gold Glove Award while slashing .262/.360/.414 with 17 homers and 82 RBIs in 161 games. The best season of Lowe's career so far came in 2022 with the Rangers as he slashed .302/.358/.492 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 157 games played. Red Sox adding Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner to Boston This season has been uncharacteristic by his body of work throughout his seven year big league career. Once Lowe was DFA'd by the Nationals, immediately speculation popped up about how he would make sense in Boston. Well, it sounds like the Red Sox's front office agrees. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox are in talks to bring Lowe to town. "Red Sox are in talks to bring in Nathaniel Lowe and are working on getting it done, sources say," Cotillo said. ESPN's Jeff Passan followed up by reporting that the Red Sox and Lowe were finalizing a deal. "First baseman Nathaniel Lowe and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal, sources tell ESPN. Lowe was DFA’d by Washington earlier this week and will head to Boston and join one of the best lineups in the league," Passan said. Since Casas got hurt, the Red Sox have been getting by with Romy González and Abraham Toro getting the vast majority of the work. González is still thriving but Toro has fallen back to earth after a red-hot start to his Boston stint. Now, Lowe will come to town and help fill in at first base down the stretch as Boston pushes for a playoff spot. It's been a good run for Boston -- despite a bad day on Sunday -- and now the club will add another slugger into the mix.
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