WINSTANT REACTION: Avs power play plays hero in 5-1 win over Minnesota Wild

This game seemed like a dam breaking for the Avs‘ power play, two goals setting them over the edge on the man-advantage to win 3-0 over the Minnesota Wild.

This was a “best-on-best” matchup between NHL-best defensemen Cale Makar and newly-acquired Quinn Hughes, who was just traded from the Vancouver Canucks on December 12th, in return for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick.

Martin Necas gets the Avs on the board late in the first period. Gabe Landeskog and Cale Makar cycle along the right boards, and Makar finds Necas in the middle.

The second period, the power play gets going – twice! Nathan MacKinnon converts on an interference penalty called on Vladimir Tarasenko to make it 2-0. Cale Makar capitalizes on a double minor assessed to Marcus Foligno (interference and cross-checking) for his actions against Gavin Brindley to make it 3-0.

Mackenzie Blackwood‘s shutout bid is snapped in the third period. A neutral-zone turnover, due to Brent Burns, leads to a few weird bounces that eventually lead to Minnesota’s first of the night. Ryan Hartman capitalizes on a bounce off the post to score.

Brock Nelson, from the right faceoff circle, where he’s been trying all night, finally gets rewarded with a goal to regain the Avs’ three-goal lead, making it 4-1. Minnesota pulls Jesper Wallstedt while three goals down, and Nathan MacKinnon puts it away on the empty net for his 30th goal on the season to make it 5-1, where this thing ends. Avs move to 26-2-7 on the season.

Two power play goals? In this economy?

If this is where you’re looking for my regularly scheduled blurb about how the power play stinks, look elsewhere today! The Avalanche converted twice (yes, you read that correctly) on the power play in tonight’s game. The last time they did that was against Vancouver (the first time this team saw Quinn Hughes this season) back in November.

A Makar classic. pic.twitter.com/WcEdilRWsa

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 22, 2025

Both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored on the power play tonight. It’s only the second time this season this Avs team has converted more than once on the power play, the other being their game against New Jersey on 10/28.

Nathan MacKinnon, the first skater to 30 goals

With his power play goal tonight, Nathan MacKinnon found his 29th goal of the season (on the 29th shot of the game, how fun).

That's 29 for 29! pic.twitter.com/ygLwAoPuxt

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 22, 2025

With his empty-netter in the final minutes of the third period, he became the first player this season to reach 30 goals this season. With that, he is also the first skater to reach 60 points in the season.

Avs postgame pod