Avalanche goaltending and the club’s overall ability to defend are on an impressive roll. Goalie Pavel Francouz produced his third career NHL shutout, and second in a row, to lead the Avalanche to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at Ball Arena. “We defended hard,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after his club improved its NHL-leading winning percentage to .762.