DENVER – Dany Heatley scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and added two assists, and the Ottawa Senators scored four times in the final period to overwhelm the Colorado Avalanche 6-2.

Ottawa again had trouble with its power play (1-for-7) and played without Jason Spezza, the NHL’s third-leading scorer, because of a hip injury.

It didn’t matter.

After Mike Fisher scored in the first period and Christoph Schubert scored his second goal of the season in the second, the Senators turned a 2-all game into a rout. They lead the NHL with 46 points.

Heatley scored his 20th goal nearly six minutes into the third period, then Patrick Eaves made it 4-2 with 61/2 minutes left. Bryan Smolinski, back on the ice after getting hit in the head in the second period, followed with his fifth goal 94 seconds later and Brandon Bochenski capped the outburst 42 seconds after that.

Dominik Hasek was steady as usual, stopping 22 shots and keeping the Sens close early. He’s allowed 19 goals during a 9-0-1 streak.

Daniel Alfredsson had three assists.

Avalanche rookie Marek Svatos scored his 15th goal and Patrice Brisebois ended a 21-game goal drought, but Colorado gave up too many good scoring chances in losing for the fourth time in six games. Rookie goalie Vitaly Kolesnik got the worst of it, allowing six goals on 31 shots. He lost his second straight game after opening his career with two wins.

The up-and-down action was about what you’d expect from the league’s top two scoring teams. The hard hitting and rough play wasn’t.

Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles hit his head on the ice after Fisher pulled him down late in the first period. Liles later returned.

Ottawa forward Peter Schaefer crumpled to the ice midway through the second when teammate Chris Neil, who took an elbow to the head from Svatos, hit him in the face with his stick. Schaefer received stitches and returned, and Svatos later got rammed into the boards from behind.

Not even the goalies were safe.

Kolesnik lay face down on the ice for about a minute after Fisher barreled over him on a semi-breakaway midway through the second period. Kolesnik climbed to his knees after being attended to by the trainer and stayed in the game.

There was more.

Smolinski had to be helped from the ice a few minutes later, blood trickling from under his helmet after he dived to block a shot by Antti Laaksonen and was hit on the side of the head with the puck.

The action with the puck picked up after that and the Senators got the better of it, ending their first losing streak at two games.

Notes: Colorado’s Pierre Turgeon had an assist on Svatos’ goal, giving him 799 for his career. … Ottawa D Wade Redden missed his ninth straight game with a sprained knee. … Colorado has scored in the first period in 10 straight games.

AP-ES-12-13-05 0001EST

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