DENVER, CO – Over the past three games for the Colorado Avalanche, you could see it trending this way, so a 6-4 victory over the Eastern Conference leading Carolina Hurricanes isn’t so much a shock, but more an inevitability.
The win against Seattle was a huge initial build up of dangerous snow. The 1-0 loss to Winnipeg (the leagues hottest and best team), despite a terrific effort by Colorado, was the stick of dynamite that led to an Avalanche Saturday night. Ironic that a day prior the Denver Metro area was buried in 9 plus inches of snow, foreshadowing perhaps, and part of the reason, that the Avalanche were winners at Ball Arena.
In a rare move, the Carolina Hurricanes elected to not leave Raleigh on Friday with the looming winter storm in the rockies. They instead made the flight West Saturday AM, eliminating a morning skate, disrupting routine, and playing with some fatigue against a team, that though injured, has 3 world class players on the ice. All of whom are never fatigued.
None of the above seemed to matter. Carolina played the first 20 minutes with the foot firmly on the gas pedal. Carolina, showing no signs of jet leg, rattled off nearly 10 shots on net before the Avalanche found the opposing cage for one. Alexander Georgiev got the start for the second straight night and weathered the storm until the half way mark when the Canes made it 1-0 on the goal by Jack Drury.
To start the second, Jordan Martinook kept Carolina looking like the leaders of the East, pushing the lead to 2-0 at 4:37. The shots on goal were significantly in favor of the visitor and much of the credit for the snap back goes to Georgiev, who was timely and flashy with saves. The confidence amongst the Avalanche ranks was visibly growing.
Enter Cale Makar.
Down a man and unassisted, Makar decided to light that dynamite and set the Avalanche in motion. An absolute beauty of a clapper from just inside the blue line, blasted past Spencer Martin at 9:13 to cut the lead to 1 and give Makar his second short handed goal of his career.
Sam Malinski scored his first of season to get the game to even and become the third Avalanche defenseman to find the back of the net in 24-25. Martin Necas responded quickly to get the travel-weary Hurricanes back in the lead on the power play making it 3-2.
Enter Nathan MacKinnon.
The reigning Hart Trophy winner would score to tie the game at 15:49 for his 7th of the year. He would go on to add three assists, figuring in on the rest of the scoring for the game including the next two goals by Arturri Lehkonen, and then Mikko Rantanen on the power play at 18:49 to close out the second with a 5-3 lead. MacKinnon registered four points (1g/3a) and jumped back into the NHL scoring lead with 29 points (7g/22a). It also marks the second time in the last three seasons MacKinnon was the first NHLer to 20 assists.
The Avalanche dominated the second in all regards, outshooting Carolina 18-6.
In the third, the Hurricanes made one last push before dissipating. Martinook cut the lead to one at 2:50 with Necas and Aho grabbing the helpers.
Enter Mikko Rantanen.
His empty-netter at 19:10 secured the win on his 8th goal of the season and third point of the night, bringing the Avalanche back to a game shy of .500. The trio of points moved him into sole possession for the seventh-most points in franchise history with 637. Rantanen was credited with the game-winning goal, the 43rd of his career to move into a three-way tie for the fifth-most in Avalanche/Nordiques history.
Georgiev turned away 27 of 31 and the Avalanche are finally finding some groove at home in Ball Arena. It was the clubs second straight home game putting up six tallies.
The Avalanche remain at home for three more, next facing the Nashville Predators on Monday evening.
