CHICAGO - This time, the flurry of late third-period goals scored Thursday night were produced by the Avalanche for a change.

"The end of some games this year, we've been known to give up a few goals," Mark Rycroft said after he, Ken Klee and Jeff Finger scored in the final 1:52 in the Avalanche's 6-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks before an announced crowd of 10,522 at the United Center.

"It was nice to score some goals at the end of the game and take any chance out of it," Rycroft said. "We need to do a lot more winning, and so far we're on the right track."

The Avalanche's playoff chances still aren't good, though.

"It can be a little discouraging, but we're hanging in there and sticking with what we can control," coach Joel Quenneville said.

The Avalanche is 10 points out of the final postseason berth in the Western Conference, and there are only 17 games remaining.

"Our chances for the playoffs are not very great, but there's still a chance," said goalie Peter Budaj, who yielded a goal to Tuomo Ruutu 71 seconds into the game but finished with 23 saves for his 20th win of the season.

"We have to keep playing well, and you never know. We have to do the best we can to get in."

This wasn't the prettiest game either team has played this season, but the Blackhawks are 22 points out of the playoffs and the atmosphere in the half-empty arena hardly was electric.

It was a tight contest until the Avalanche broke it open in the third period.

Former Blackhawks forward Tyler Arnason converted Brad Richardson's goalmouth pass with 7:36 left to make it 3-1 before the Avalanche put the game on ice.

The Blackhawks pulled goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for an extra skater with 2 1/2 minutes to go, and Joe Sakic set up Klee for an empty-net goal.

Khabibulin returned to the crease, only to watch Rycroft and Finger score one minute apart on consecutive shots.

The goal was the first for Finger, a 27-year-old defenseman, in six career NHL games. He spent his first four professional seasons in the minors before the Avalanche summoned him Feb. 17 from the Albany River Rats in the American Hockey League, and he's trying to make a late-season impression.

"It's been a long four years in the minors," said Finger, who made his NHL debut Feb. 20 against Calgary. "It's been tough. There have been hurdles my whole career that you have to jump over, but I just kept going and believed that I could make it.

"You don't know how long your shot's going to be, so when you do get a chance, you have to make the most of it."

The Avalanche took advantage of some breaks Thursday, the biggest one coming early in the second period during a scramble in front of Budaj when defenseman John-Michael Liles prevented a Blackhawks shot from entering the net.

Though it appeared Liles might have covered the puck in the crease, which could have resulted in a Chicago penalty shot, the Blackhawks didn't get a goal and Liles wasn't penalized after a lengthy video review.

"Over the course of the year, I don't know if we're even," Quenneville said of getting some breaks for a change. "But we're not complaining."

Richardson scored a controversial goal at 7:43 of the first period to tie the score, and Brett Mc- Lean put the Avalanche ahead for good 3:01 later when he knocked the rebound of Milan Hejduk's spot into a wide-open net with Khabibulin out of position.

Richardson was credited with his goal after a long video review. He was charging to the front of the net and, when Khabibulin poked the puck into him, Richardson and the puck slid into the goalie and across the goal line.

"I'll take it," Richardson said. "I wasn't intentionally trying to get into him. It was a little bit of luck, but that's never bad to have on your side. To be honest, I thought I got hooked a bit. Whatever, I went down, and it turned out nice for me."

Khabibulin protested at the time, but he chose not to speak with reporters after the game.

ETC.: Avalanche forward Marek Svatos was scratched because of a groin injury. . . . The Avalanche will work out off the ice today in Chicago before traveling to Detroit. The club will practice there Saturday and meet the Red Wings on Sunday.

Colorado......2	0	4	-	6
Chicago......1	0	0	-	1

First period - 1, Chi, Ruutu 14 (Havlat, Aucoin), 1:11. 2, Col, Richardson 9 (Liles, Finger), 7:43. 3, Col, McLean 10 (Hejduk, Klee), 10:44. Penalties - Rycroft, Col, major (fighting), 1:14; Richmond, Chi, major (fighting), 1:14; Cullimore, Chi (tripping), 4:07; Finger, Col, (holding), 13:17; Vaananen, Col, (holding), 18:08; Havlat, Chi (holding), 18:42.

Second period - None. Penalties - None.

Third period - 4, Col, Arnason 14 (Richardson, Laperriere), 12:24. 5, Col, Klee 3 (Sakic, Laperriere), 18:08 (en). 6, Col, Rycroft 6 (Guite, Parker), 18:43. 7, Col, Finger 1 (Stastny, Guite), 19:43. Penalties - Hejduk, Col, (tripping), :40; Richardson, Col, (hooking), 4:45.

Shots - Col 6-9-17 - 32. Chi 10-9-5 - 24. Power plays - Col 0 of 2; Chi 0 of 4. Goalies - Col, Budaj 20- 15-4 (24 shots-23 saves). Chi, Khabibulin 20-20-5 (31- 26). A - 10,522 (20,500). T - 2:28. Referees - Mike Hasenfratz, Dennis LaRue. Linesmen - Derek Amell, Derek Nansen.

sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com Avalanche 6, Blackhawks 1

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