MONTREAL — Colorado Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood has a message for any kids dreaming of playing in the NHL: take notes from Artturi Lehkonen.
Lehkonen continued his scorching start to the season Saturday, scoring his 15th goal to help the short-handed Avalanche beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 without injured stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
“He just plays hockey the right way,” Blackwood said of his teammate. “People talk about playing the right way, doing the right things — if kids want to know how to be an NHL player, they should just watch this guy play every night.”
Lehkonen, who also added an assist, gave Colorado a 3-1 lead at 4:14 of the third period, burying a rebound into a gaping net on the power play after Jakub Dobes made a pair of desperation saves.
The five-foot-11, 179-pound winger now has 21 points in 21 games, putting him well on pace to shatter his career highs of 27 goals and 51 points.
“The detail, the competitiveness, plays way bigger than his size,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Watch the goals he scores, they’re all in the hard areas, in traffic. Just always getting the right touch on the puck, making the right play at the right time.
“He’s consistently contributing to our success, and no nights off, plays hurt. Everything you want in a hockey player, he’s it.”
Lehkonen was drafted by the Canadiens in the second round, 55th overall, in 2013. He spent six seasons in Montreal, helping the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup final, but never scored more than 20 goals during his time in the hockey mecca.
The 31-year-old Finn is now on track for his fourth 20-goal campaign — to go with his Stanley Cup ring — since Montreal traded him to Colorado for Justin Barron and a second-round draft pick in 2022.
On Saturday, Lehkonen managed to make an impact without his usual linemate MacKinnon in the lineup or Makar running the power play.
MacKinnon, the league’s MVP in 2024, and two-time Norris Trophy winner Makar both exited Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators with lower-body injuries. Colorado (12-6-3) will be without MacKinnon for at least a month, while Makar is expected to miss two weeks, Bednar said Saturday morning.
“You can’t really replace them. They’re two of the best players in the world,” Lehkonen said. “So for us to have a gutsy road win like this, it’s really big, for sure.”
It’s early, but Bednar liked what he saw from his group in their absence.
“That can galvanize your group, too,” he said. “You’re trying to get your team to dig in in certain areas and it’s taking a while. You almost have no choice when you lose a couple of guys like that.”
SLOW START
The start was less than ideal for Dobes in his first appearance in nine days. Already under pressure after Jacob Fowler leapfrogged him on Montreal’s depth chart, the Czech netminder surrendered a goal on the first shot he faced — for the second consecutive game — when Fedor Svechkov beat him on a two-on-one rush.
Brock Nelson later doubled Colorado’s lead with a one-timer from a tight angle, giving the Avalanche their second goal on just three shots.
“Just a bounce,” Dobes said. “I don’t feel any different; I feel like every time we start a game they somehow get one in.
“I feel like the shooter had nothing to shoot at, but it’s just unfortunate. But we’ll talk about it and we’ll have a better start next game.”
Dobes opened the season as Montreal’s No. 1 goalie after his spectacular play during last season’s run to the Eastern Conference final. But while Fowler has emerged as a runaway favourite for the Calder Trophy, Dobes has stumbled out of the gate.
The 25-year-old is 3-3-2 with an .852 save percentage and a 3.93 goals-against average. He has posted a save percentage below .900 in every start except a strong season-opening win in Toronto.
Now he faces the challenge of regaining his confidence while sitting second in the Canadiens’ goaltending pecking order.
“I wish I could play more, but that’s the situation and I gotta adjust to that and take the most out of it,” he said. “I will keep working and hopefully we’ll get a better result next time.”
WHEELS UP
The Canadiens (12-4-4) begin a three-game road trip Monday against the New York Rangers. They’ll then face the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday before closing out the trip Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Will sophomore winger Ivan Demidov join the team? Head coach Martin St. Louis said post-game that he didn’t know.
Demidov hasn’t played since Oct. 3 after suffering a foot injury while blocking a shot during the pre-season. The 20-year-old was initially given a recovery timeline of two to four weeks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2026.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press