DENVER — Soaring when they hit the Mile High City, the Chicago Blackhawks were brought back to earth in spectacular fashion and their historic run is history.

The Blackhawks didn't merely lose for the first time this season in regulation, they looked bad in doing so as the Colorado Avalanche crushed them 6-2 Friday.

After a first half of the season during which they could do no wrong, everything seemed to fall apart for Chicago against the Avs and its record 24-game run to begin the season was halted.

Also ended was a franchise-record 11-game winning streak and the 30 straight games with at least a point dating to last season — the second-longest points streak in NHL history, behind Philadelphia's 35 in 1979-80.

"We had our chances to stay close, but we didn't play smart enough in our own zone — it came down to that," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "We've been fortunate to play well enough to make it this far and it's something we can be proud of. We'll take the confidence we gained from all that and keep going forward.

"Everyone knows you can't win them all."

Losing puck battles, failing in the faceoff circle and looking winded during their sixth game in nine nights, the Blackhawks fell to 21-1-3 in 2013. It was their first defeat in regulation since March 25, 2012, against the Nashville Predators.

"We've lost games before in our lives," Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith said. "It's not like we're going to sit here and cry now. We just move on and try and be better next game."

The Blackhawks actually jumped in front early in the opening period on a Toews goal, but the Avs — who looked a step quicker than the Hawks for most of the game — mounted an offensive attack that stunned goaltender Corey Crawford with five consecutive goals from five different players.

Semyon Varlamov earned the victory in goal while Crawford took the loss, lasting two periods before Ray Emery replaced him to start the third.

"I just didn't have it," Crawford said. "I didn't give our guys a chance. I have to be better than that."

Colorado avenged a 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday at the United Center.

Note

• Anaheim signed center Ryan Getzlaf, 27, to an eight-year, $66 million contract — the longest extension allowed under the new collective-bargaining agreement.