Counterbalance was the theme Saturday night at the Pepsi Center.

The Avalanche, overlooking to begin the game and also a fourth late in the next phase, used three objectives out of two 21-year-old defensemen to conquer the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2.

Rookie Cale Makar scored and fellow blue-liner Sam Girard once because the Avs swept their two-game homestand after entering it. Colorado, which started goalie Pavel Francouz to the 2nd game and obtained a late insurance goal from Nazem Kadri, improved to 10-5-2.

“You got to get what you have ta do. You need guys to step up,” ” stated Avs coach Jared Bednar, who was missing two-thirds of his line. “I thought Cale Makar was truly good. He steps up in a huge way. We chip in enough goals. ”

Makar and Girard mixed for 10 of Colorado’s 36 shots, including seven from Makar — who’s one of the NHL’so called top-scoring defensemen with 17 points (four goals) in 17 games.

Kadri forced a neutral-zone turnover and scored Colorado’s goal on a huge slap shot remaining, right before Columbus wished to pull its goalie for an extra attacker.

“I think we were mentally strong,” stated Francouz, who tried a shot . “We simply had to stick into the game we had been playing. It worked. ”

Makar scored by the right wing the next stage of at 10:52 and also 16:11 — the aims of the frame. He beat goalie Joonas Korpisalo using two different wrist shots — the first a beauty and the next a slow roller to give Colorado a 3-2 lead.

The Avs had a glorious opportunity to build on their lead however, failed to convert on a five-minute power play after dropping veteran center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare into a head injury at 17:15 of the next period.

Bellemare has been elbowed in the head by Columbus captain Nick Foligno in the neutral zone, after Bellemare dumped the puck in the Jackets’ end. Foligno captured Bellemare’s face with his elbow, and Bellemare also hit his head on the ice on landing.

Colorado, however, failed to convert on the major penalty and clung to the one-goal lead late in the period.

“Another work. There’so a squad over there,” stated Avs forwards Matt Calvert, a former Blue Jacket. “We lose a guy like Belle; he s part of the lineup. He might not deliver the goals like another (missing) guys do but he brings a huge amount of leadership. We wanted to find this one because of him, after that strike. ”

The teams exchanged first-period goals, together with Columbus’ Emil Benstrom scoring on the power play at 4:55 and Girard tying it. Girard’s slap shot from the point.

Footnotes. The injury-plagued Avs played without forward Mikko Rantanen, Gabe Landeskog along with Colin Wilson along with goalie Philipp Grubauer. None of those players are skating as part of their restoration, however, Bednar stated Grubauer is predicted to travel with the team Monday when it embarks on a five-game excursion starting Tuesday at Winnipeg. … Defenseman Nikita Zadorov missed his first game with a broken jaw that necessitated operation Friday. He is out indefinitely.

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