Chris Stewart formulated a plan as he fidgeted on the bench, readying himself just in case the shootout dragged out that long.

When his turn came, Stewart went to work, skating down the side, cutting over and lining the puck under the pads of Chicago goalie Antti Niemi — just as he envisioned.

Stewart scored in the eighth round of the shootout, helping the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche remain unbeaten at home with a 4-3 victory over the Blackhawks on Friday night.

In truth, Stewart's plan of action wasn't an entirely unique strategy. He picked it up from teammate Milan Hejduk.

"I just came off the wing and did the old Hejduk - shoot low blocker," Stewart said.

Dustin Byfuglien had a chance to tie, but sent his slap shot just wide.

The two teams have made lengthy shootouts a habit this season, going nine rounds on Oct. 10, with the Blackhawks prevailing in that one.

Brent Seabrook thinks he knows why.

"We both have good goaltenders and good shooters," Seabrook said.

Craig Anderson returned to the net after receiving a rare night off. The Avalanche goalie stopped 29 shots, including a vital save in overtime when he turned back Patrick Sharp's shot.

"He gives us a chance to win every night and he did it again tonight," Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said.

Ryan O'Reilly scored twice for Colorado in regulation, while David Jones added a short-handed goal.

With the win, the Avalanche moved to 6-0 at Pepsi Center this season, matching the franchise record for consecutive home wins to start a season.

Byfuglien, Duncan Keith and Andrew Ladd scored for the Blackhawks, who lost for the second straight night.

Tired legs? Troy Brouwer didn't feel that was the case.

"We have a couple of days off so the back-to-back games aren't too bad," he said. "We came out and had a great start, but we weren't able to maintain it throughout the game."