Avs stretch streak to 10

BERNIER GETS BETTER OF OLD CLUB, AVALANCHE BEAT LEAFS TO EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 10

Colorado goaltender Jonathan Bernier heard the Bronx cheers from the Air Canada Centre crowd on Monday night. He remembers listening to Toronto’s fans giving him the same banter when he was a member of the Maple Leafs as they struggled through the 2015-16 season.

“It’s not as bad when you are the away team,” said Bernier.

Bernier made 29 saves in his first start at the ACC since Toronto traded him in July 2016 as redhot Colorado extended its win streak to 10 games with a 4-2 victory over the host Leafs.

The 29-year-old Bernier, who is on a personal nine-game winning run in place of injured starter Semyon Varlamov, struggled in his final year with Toronto, which was rebuilding at the time. Hometown crowds would serenade him when he gave up soft goals and at one point he found himself back in the American Hockey League on a conditioning stint.

All of that adversity made the Avalanche’s win in Toronto that much sweeter for the Laval, Que., native.

“That’s one of those games you look on the calendar and want to play and want to win,” said Bernier. “(It’s) mixed feelings, I had some great memories and bad memories here. I wanted to make sure I brought my A game and gave my team a chance to win.”

Blake Comeau scored the go-ahead goal with 7:43 to play for the Avalanche (27-16-3).

Comeau beat a backchecking Auston Matthews to the net and re-directed a Carl Soderberg pass through Frederik Andersen to put Colorado ahead for good.

“Couple minor mistakes and they capitalized on them,” said Matthews. “Pretty good game by us but they’re a hot team and capitalized.”

With the teams tied 1-1, Matthews thought he gave Toronto the lead on a goal-mouth scramble in the second period, tapping in a loose puck after it hit Zach Hyman in the skate and skipped behind the Avalanche netminder. But Colorado coach Jared Bednar challenged for goalie interference and it was overturned, angering Mike Babcock on the Leafs bench.

“I’ve got texts from half the coaches telling me that should be a goal, so if the coaches don’t know, we don’t know, but I’m not worried about that,” said Babcock.