It did not take long for Peter Forsberg to show the Blackhawks, as well as the rest of the NHL, that he is healthy again.
Yet even the presence of Peter the Great was not enough to stop the Blackhawks from scoring a pair of third-period goals Tuesday night to escape Denver with a 2-2 draw.
Tyler Arnason scored his team-leading 22nd goal of the season with 1 minute 40 seconds remaining in regulation to allow the Blackhawks to leave the Pepsi Center with a point. The draw kept alive a modest three-game unbeaten streak for the Hawks.
Forsberg, the Avalanche forward who led the league in points while earning MVP honors last season, made his first appearance Tuesday night since Feb. 16.
Blackhawks rookie goaltender Michael Leighton entered the game having faced 125 shots in his previous three games, and the onslaught continued. Colorado outshot the Blackhawks 43-30, including a 30-17 advantage through the first two periods.
“I’m trying to make the saves I’m supposed to and give my team a chance to win,” Leighton said. “Lately I’ve been making the saves I’m supposed to, and we’ve responded with goals. Put two and two together, and we’re playing well.”
Forsberg, who has missed 43 games this season because of a nagging abdominal/groin injury, entered the game after 32 seconds. He made a pair of slick centering passes within his first minute on the ice, although Leighton was able to stop all shots through the first period.
Forsberg helped put Colorado on the board at 1:29 of the second period. Forsberg touched a pass to Paul Kariya in the corner, who fed Matthew Barnaby to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.
Colorado pushed its lead to 2-0 10 1/2 minutes later as Steve Konowalchuk beat Leighton on a rebound of a Joe Sakic shot. The assist was the 1,400th point of Sakic’s career.
The Blackhawks drew within a goal when defenseman Jim Vandermeer took advantage of an Avalanche turnover during a Colorado power play. Vandermeer launched a laser beam of a shot on a two-on-one charge that beat Avalanche goaltender Tommy Salo. His short-handed, unassisted score was his fifth goal of the season.
Leighton kept the Blackhawks within striking range with a nice save against an unmarked Riku Hahl with 3:15 remaining in the third period.
Arnason then made an agile move against Sakic at the bottom of the right circle to create an open shot, which he buried for his team-leading 53rd point.
