CHICAGO — The Avalanche kept it rolling Tuesday at the United Center, defeating the Blackhawks 5-1 to improve to 8-1-3 in its last 12 games. Star center Nathan MacKinnon had two assists, giving him 91 points on the season, and he continues to lead the NHL in points-per-game (1.40). He is second in league scoring to Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (94 points), who has played in six more games than MacKinnon. Game story: Avalanche wins at Chicago to make significant gain in playoff race https://t.co/U8UJrXaoM7 via @denverpost #Avs — Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) March 21, 2018 The notebook leads with Carl Soderberg missing the game because of illness. THREE STARS Semyon Varlamov.