In winning trend Wednesday night, Nathan MacKinnon attained a Hall of Fame-backed milestone with his 50th point of the season, becoming just the third Avalanche participant to produce 50 points in 3 consecutive seasons.
Merely club legends Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg had done this before, together using Sakic (1998-2002) and Forsberg (1995-99) — both enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame — doing it in four straight campaigns.
MacKinnon needed a second assist in the third period to shut the door about the New York Islanders at a 3-1 victory in the Pepsi Center.
“In an ideal world, that’s what you can do? You keep after them and begin the following and come out and get a goal to set the game out of reach,” Avs coach Jared Bednar stated. “I thought we did a pretty great job all night in the offensive zone, owning the puck, making great choices using it, not making it easy for them (also ) force them to defend. ”
MacKinnon now has 84 points, tied with Boston’s David Pastrnak for second in the NHL. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl has a league-high 95 points. MacKinnon walked out of the locker room when reporters entered it Wednesday and also t appear to need to remark concerning his 26th game of the season.
Year-old friend Semyon Varlamov, the Russian goalie who played the previous eight seasons in Colorado, the Avs got goals from Joonas Donskoi midway during the first phase and Andre Burakovsky early in the moment and took a 2-0 lead into the third.
Subsequently the Avs shut the door to the defensive-minded, then low-scoring Islanders at 7:43 of the final framework when Gabe Landeskog redirected a shot at MacKinnon ago Varlamov. New York’s Brock Nelson scored a goal as the Islanders avoided the shutout.
“I’m happy with the way we played the game the ideal way and finished,” Landeskog said. “It’therefore a major difference going 2-1 when they score than 3-1, therefore we wanted to make sure we had been searching that (third) target. It was great to receive it. ”
The Avs climbed inside a point of St. Louis and Dallas, both with 76, atop the Central Division and Western Conference standings. Colorado has played one more game than the Blues and Stars in a tight race for division and conference supremacy.
“You love competition. Nobody is at the game if you would like ’t enjoy it,” stated Avs defenseman Cale Makar, who had aids on Donskoi and Burakovsky’s aims to climb into 45 points. “Obviously, we’re all close in the top there. It simply depends on who seperates themselves in this upcoming little bit. ”
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The Avs, who got a great 27-save effort from goalie Pavel Francouz, also snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) and finished 2-2-1 to a five-game homestand.
The injury-depleted Avs played their second game without injured goalie Philipp Grubauer, who’s out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. They were without injured secret forward Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri and Matt Calvert, who are are out during this past month and probably more.
Rantanen suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury Monday. Calvert has missed two games with a lower-body injury and Kadri, who’s on crutches, missed his fifth .
Footnotes. Forward Martin Kaut, 20, made his NHL debut for the Avs, who selected the Czech Republic native with the 16th pick of the 2018 draft. Kaut played right wing on a line with center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and left wing Matt Nieto. Colorado’s just healthy scratch was defenseman Mark Barberio. … The Avs will travel to Anaheim on Thursday and prepare for a consecutive-night stretch in Southern California against the Ducks on Friday and also Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Because the Avs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, are also playing road games at California this weekend, the Avs will stick with a minimum 12 forward and just use a call-up if a forward on the large team moves down with injury Friday.
Avs get a win to complete 2-2-1 on five-game homestand. This ’s Coach Bednar #NYIvsCOL //t.co/mmVVBOOh2u
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) February 20, 2020
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