Nichushkin, Manson score to give Avs early 2-0 lead

DENVER — Ryan McDonagh got called for a hooking penalty, and Valeri Nichushkin made him pay.

The Avs right winger tapped in a pass from Game 1 hero Andre Burakovsky, and Colorado is off to a 1-0 lead over the reigning champs.

Josh Manson followed up with a wrist shot that sailed past Bolts goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Avalanche took a 2-0 lead in the first. Vasilevskiy has now given up five first-period goals in the first two games of this series.