Connor McMichael scores twice in the Capitals' 5-2 victory over the Avalanche

DENVER (AP) — Connor McMichael had two goals and the Washington Capitals scored four times on their first 10 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

Jakub Vrana, Jakob Chychrun and Rasmus Sandin also scored and Charlie Lindgren made 17 saves to spoil the return of three key forwards for Colorado.

Valeri Nichushkin was added to the active roster after a six-month suspension under the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and had one shot in 19:27 of ice time.

Colorado also got back wingers Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood from upper-body injuries. Drouin had not played since opening night, and Wood was on the injured list since Oct. 28.

Parker Kelly gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game but Vrana and McMichael scored on the next two shots to put Washington ahead.

Nikolai Kovalenko cut it to 3-2 early in the second, but Chychrun answered midway through the second.

Capitals: Alex Ovechkin did not score and remains 31 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894.

Avalanche: Trent Miner, called up earlier Friday with Alexandar Georgiev out with an upper-body injury, had 12 saves in his NHL debut. Miner came in for ineffective Justus Annunen 1:53 into the second period. Annunen allowed three goals on six shots.

McMichael stole Sam Girard’s attempted clear at the Colorado blue line and beat Annunen with a backhander to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead early in the third.

Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon was held without a point for the first time at home this season. MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 33 points, has at least one point in 16 of 18 games overall.

The Capitals visit Vegas on Sunday night, while the Avalanche begin a four-game trip in Philadelphia on Monday night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Back after a six-month suspension from the league, Colorado Avalanche right wing Valleri Nichushkin pursues the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) fights for control of the puck with Colorado Avalanche center Ivan Ivan (82) in the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary, left, congratulates center Connor McMichael after McMichael scored against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary, left, fights for control of the puck with Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly, right, in the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals center Aliaksei Protas struggles to collect the puck in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael, left, sweeps past Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson, right, to score in the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals center Lars Eller, left, loses control of the puck while driving past Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, right, in the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche goalie Trent Miner (50) comes in to replace goaltender Justus Annunen (60) after Annunen was pulled in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren, right, makes a stick-save of a shot by Colorado Avalanche center Casey Mittelstadt in the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael, center, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael, left, pursues the puck with Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin, right, in the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano was as bloody and bruising as the original.

The disputed decision — and the reaction to it — was the same, too.

Taylor retained her unanimous super lightweight championship in a razor-thin unanimous decision over Serrano on Friday night in a slugfest remarkably similar to their epic bout in New York two years ago.

Taylor was scored a 95-94 winner by all three judges, drawing boos from the crowd at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys before the co-main event of Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.

The 38-year-old from Ireland remained the undisputed champion and in the super lightweight and lightweight divisions. It was the third victory since the first professional loss for Taylor (24-1, six knockouts).

Serrano, who kept punching despite getting a nasty cut over her left eye in the sixth round, was the crowd favorite much the same way she was in the the disputed split decision at Madison Square Garden in 2022.

In that sold-out slugfest, they were the first women headlining a combat sports event at the storied venue. The 36-year-old Serrano, a seven-division champion, is 47-3-1 with 31 knockouts.

It might have started a little more slowly than the New York meeting, but things changed when Serrano, who is from Puerto Rico but lives in New York, sustained the nasty cut.

The injury forced the referee to call a timeout in the middle of the sixth round, and frequent closeups the rest of the fight drew gasps from the crowd in the first combat sports telecast from the streaming platform Netflix.

Serrano never stopped punching, though, and appeared to have Taylor teetering in the final seconds of the bout. Taylor leaned in on Serrano repeatedly, appearing to have trouble keeping herself up on her own. She had already been deducted a point for head-butting in the eighth round.

Taylor was fighting for the first time since avenging her only professional loss by beating Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed super lightweight title in a rematch in her home country a year ago.

The Taylor-Serrano fight in New York was more a celebration of women's boxing, despite the questions over the result. Serrano was a little more frustrated this time, questioning how fair the fight was with her complaints of head-butts and holding as the fight progressed.

Serrano was in trouble after the sixth round, the ring doctor asking if she could continue as the wound was treated. She said yes, and didn't show many signs of slowing down.

The pair traded flurries of punches most of the way, especially in the final round while knowing the judging would be close.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Katie Taylor, right, lands a right to Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Amanda Serrano, right, hits Katie Taylor during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Katie Taylor, right, hits Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Katie Taylor, center, celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Amanda Serrano is attended to after fighting Katie Taylor in an undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Amanda Serrano, left, and Katie Taylor react after their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)