13-26-2.
That was the abysmal record the Colorado Avalanche managed last season at the Pepsi Center. Once again driven by the Nathan MacKinnon-centered top line, the Avalanche dismissed the visiting Dallas Stars 3-0 and moved to 7-1-1 on home ice (though the overtime loss actually came in Stockholm, Sweden). What was once a difficult place for this Avalanche team to find success has become a safe haven for a young team learning how to win.
“It’s a fun place to play now and we have to keep it that way,” forward Mikko Rantanen said. “We have to get as many wins as we can at home. I think we can play better on the road that’s for sure. We’ll try to get the same mentality and the same start we have here; we usually play great here first period so we’ll try to get that on the road, too.”
While MacKinnon has received the lion’s share of attention with 20 points in his last 10 games and Landeskog has overtaken the team lead in goals scored, the little brother of Colorado’s white-hot trio is the 21-year-old Rantanen. In just his second season, there appears to be no sophomore slump in store for this Finnish right winger.
Rantanen’s two assists tonight pushed him to 19 points (6g, 13a), officially making him halfway to his rookie point total of 38 in just 20 games played. He is currently on pace for a 78 point (25g, 53a) season. A strong start on the power play drove Rantanen’s early success and his 10 power play points lead the Avalanche but he has been finding more success at even strength recently, giving that line even more juice.
“Yeah, we try to keep it simple,” Rantanen said nonchalantly. “I’m playing with two great linemates and that’s a big thing helping me a lot. I try to get pucks to them and we have pretty good movement in the o-zone. In the last few games we’ve been pretty good in the d-zone, too and that’s how we have to be. If we can’t score, we have to shut down the first line.”
Against the Stars, shutting down the top line meant taking away elite forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The two have previously abused the Avalanche but tonight were kept eerily quiet as they combined for just one shot on goal in 38 combined minutes of ice time.
Rantanen’s breakout pass to MacKinnon sparked Colorado’s first goal early in the second period and highlighted the team’s ability to exit the defensive zone and create offense through the neutral zone, easily one of the biggest difference’s in this year’s Avalanche team. The line then combined for a beautiful cycle down low and Rantanen’s feed to Landeskog in front setup the dagger, putting Colorado ahead 3-0 just 1:11 into the third period.
The addition of Landeskog to MacKinnon and Rantanen has also created a juggernaut of a top line, something Colorado has lacked since MacKinnon’s rookie season playing alongside Paul Stastny.
“He’s a great player, a big boy and can play heavy in the d-zone and the o-zone,” Rantanen said of Landeskog. “He’s a good goal scorer, too, so it’s easy to play with him.”
As the Avs move away from another impressive home win, they look ahead to a Friday afternoon tilt against the rival Minnesota Wild. Going into Minnesota has been a real challenge for the Avalanche in recent years but this hungry young squad isn’t worried about the raucous crowd awaiting them at the Xcel Center.
“It’s a big game, a divisional matchup again,” Rantanen stated. “Those are the biggest games and we have to be ready for that. We’ll rest tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”
Carrying just a 4-7-0 road record into the weekend means the Avalanche are focused on bringing their home swagger into opposing buildings. What better place to get started in the uphill climb than against their most recent archrival?
