The Colorado Avalanche returned home after a five game road trip. They played above 0.500 hockey – so they didn’t return on a negative note – but they were due some good news.
Nathan MacKinnon had a historic night to lift the Avs 6-2 over the Washington Capitals and nobody was surprised because he’s just been that good this season.
It really is a special year for MacKinnon.
To add to the good news, after missing time since October 11th with a neck injury after a scary collision into the boards, Artturi Lehkonen rejoined the Avs. Bowen Byram also returned after his shorter stint on IR.
The first period wasn’t their smoothest, but they capitalized on late-period fatigue from the Capitals on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Though the Caps led the shots battle early, Alexandar Georgiev made important saves especially on the penalty kill.
Gradually the Avs stepped into the contest more and caught up.
The Avs were down the man-advantage twice, but Cale Makar seized the moment on their second kill.
Andrew Cogliano caused a broken play when Alex Ovechkin’s pass went straight into his body coming off for the change. The puck floated away and Makar beat Tom Wilson, picked it up, and charged up ice. He skated down the slot, found his lane, and beat Charlie Lindgren.
Almost unbelievably, it was Makar’s first shorthanded goal of his career. With it, he surpassed Tyson Barrie on the franchise leaderboard for goals scored by a defenseman (76).
Lehkonen’s presence was felt immediately, he logged big minutes on the PK and even dished a hit and won a faceoff all within the first period.
Early in the second, old-friend Nicolas Aube-Kubel went to the box for holding and Colorado had their first powerplay chance.
Makar slipped the puck around Evgeny Kuznetzov to Mikko Rantanen at the right-circle. Rantanen snuck the puck past three Caps skaters to MacKinnon opposite him, and MacKinnon snapped it home.
MacKinnon extended his point-streak to 24 consecutive home games and unlocked a new franchise record previously held by Joe Sakic.
Ethan Bear went to the box for a delay of game penalty and Colorado received their second powerplay chance.
Makar and Rantanen cycled the puck high and Makar found the seam in the slot and passed to MacKinnon across the way. MacKinnon trusted his one-timer again and beat Lindgren a second time.
Just two minutes later, MacKinnon recorded the first natural hat trick by a player since Joe Sakic in 2003.
The puck rimmed around the boards and out from their end. Rantanen chased it up ice with MacKinnon on his flank. In a two-on-one rush, Rantanen passed to MacKinnon across the slot and MacKinnon backhanded the puck in.
Hats flew onto the ice and MacKinnon couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“He plays hard,” Rantanen said of MacKinnon. “Off the ice, he’s really dialed. (He has a) very hard work ethic…so I’m not surprised. He’s always been an elite player.”
“Off the ice, things go up every year,” Rantanen added of MacKinnon’s routine away from the rink. “I don’t know if it’s even possible. That’s how it feels with how dialed in he is and everything he does. On the ice he’s playing hard, he’s defending hard, which is fun to watch and that’s important for us to defend as well – not only score goals.”
The Avs had hat tricks in back-to-back games after Logan O’Connor netted his thanks to MacKinnon’s unselfish pass in Philadelphia.
After Nikita Kucherov had a four-point night yesterday, MacKinnon’s spot in the league-lead for points was compromised.
MacKinnon must have taken that personally. With a five-point night himself, MacKinnon took the lead again with 82 points.
When asked about regaining the lead, MacKinnon pointed to his support, “The players on this team, I wouldn’t have this many without some of the best players in the whole league.”
Colorado’s special teams provided a huge boost too. They went two-for-four on the powerplay and killed five penalties.
Almost midway through the third period, Georgiev’s near-perfect night was taken from him.
Max Pacioretty threw the puck on net for Dylan Strome to angle in. Ross Colton got his stick on it and nearly broke up the pass, but Strome regained the puck and wristed it past Georgiev.
Georgiev finished the night with a 0.920. Though the shots were skewed 31-25 in favor of the Avs, the Capitals created 12 high-danger opportunities to challenge him.
“We need him,” MacKinnon said on Georgiev postgame. “If we’re gonna win, we need Georgie to be Georgie and he’s been solid lately.”
Later, Rantanen joined the scoring party himself.
MacKinnon started the play on entry and tagged up Rantanen who quickly passed to Jonathan Drouin at the post. Drouin centered the puck and Rantanen crashed the crease to send it to the back of the net.
There was an overlap of calls late in the third period. Colorado set up in Washington’s end on a four-on-four. MacKinnon attempted the redirect with Rantanen at the net-front, but it went wide. Rantanen retrieved the puck and slipped it to MacKinnon in the high-slot.`
MacKinnon walked in and scored his fourth goal of the game.
It’s the first time in his career to notch multiple hat tricks in a season. It was also his second straight four-or-more-point game in the process. Peter Forsberg was the last to tally at least four points in consecutive games during the 2001 season.
“He couldn’t surprise me,” Bednar said when asked about MacKinnon’s elevated play. “That’s just where he’s at. Just look at what he does on a nightly basis.”
His 82 points are the most in franchise history through the first 48 games of a season.
Washington squeaked one more in, but the game was beyond decided.
On the other side of the four-on-four, Wilson made a quick pass through three Avs skates to Strome streaking down the slot. Strome wristed it in down low.
Colorado won the first game back from the road trip in an incredibly fun fashion. Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” – the Avs win song – was heard blaring in the hallway leading up to the locker room.
There’s still one more game before the All-Star break, so the work isn’t finished. A talented, but struggling, LA Kings team comes to town on Friday.
