The Colorado Avalanche needed a reset, and Friday night at Ball Arena gave them one. Behind a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado snapped out of its two-game skid and got exactly the kind of jolt it was looking for.
The night belonged to the top of the lineup. Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen drove the offense and combined for nine points, while MacKenzie Blackwood backed it up with 31 saves. The Avalanche were not perfect, especially once the penalties piled up, but they were far sharper than they had been in their back-to-back losses in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
MacKinnon was everywhere. He finished with a goal and three assists, pushing his season total to 20 points - seven goals and 13 assists - through 11 games.
That leaves him third in the NHL scoring race after Friday’s action. Necas added a goal and two assists, and Lehkonen chipped in a goal and an assist of his own.
Together, they made life miserable for Tampa Bay. Colorado’s top line didn’t just produce; it dictated the night.
Necas, in particular, kept showing why he looks capable of another 100-point season. His playmaking paired cleanly with MacKinnon’s speed, and Lehkonen kept the whole thing humming with the kind of details that don’t always get the loudest applause but always seem to matter.
After the game, Necas had high praise for Lehkonen’s game.
“He's very underrated. He's always in a good spot.
He creates so much space out there for me and (MacKinnon) to play a little bit around. Feels like every time he gets the puck, it's a chance.
He's a great player. He plays great defense.
You don't really find players like him.”
Lehkonen’s production keeps telling the same story. He now has nine goals through Colorado’s first 11 games, and that’s a big part of why this line has been so hard to handle. MacKinnon and Necas get plenty of attention, but Lehkonen is the piece that helps make the whole thing click.
Colorado also got a much-needed lift from its power play. The unit has been under the microscope since Brett McLean took over for David Hakstol, but Friday brought a little relief. The Avalanche went 1-for-3 on the man advantage, and Nazem Kadri scored his first goal of the season on the power play to put Colorado ahead 2-0.
Kadri had been generating shots without finding the finish, so the goal came at the right time. It gave the Avalanche a cushion early and helped set the tone for a first period in which Colorado looked very much in control.
The penalty kill, though, made things messier than it needed to be. Tampa Bay scored on one of its six power plays, and Colorado spent too much of the second period in scramble mode. That let the Lightning hang around longer than the Avalanche probably wanted.
One sequence in particular left Colorado frustrated. With the game at 4-1 and Tampa Bay working late in a power play, Nelson tried to clear the puck from the Avalanche zone, only for Nikita Kucherov to bat it down with a high stick.
Colorado challenged the play, but the call stood after review, and Tampa’s second goal counted. The decision cost the Avalanche a challenge and sent the Lightning back to the power play.
Even with the hiccups, Colorado had enough answers. Tampa Bay pulled within reach at times, but the Avalanche kept reasserting control and repeatedly landed the bigger shot. Lehkonen’s goal made it 4-1, and MacKinnon later buried a highlight-reel finish to make it 5-2.
The Lightning finished with a 34-24 edge in shots, and Jake Guentzel scored twice as Tampa Bay kept pressing. Colorado’s defensive game still needs work, no question. But after two straight losses, this was a much cleaner response, and Blackwood’s 31 saves mattered in a big way.
Afterward, Jared Bednar described the performance as the team’s best of the season.
“That was probably our most complete effort of the year. Close as you can get with all the penalties in the second period.
I thought we had a great first, 5-on-5 in the second was really good. I mean, you're killing, like, I think we had six straight penalties, right, when it all adds up at one point in the game.
The win moved Colorado to 6-4-1 and ended Tampa Bay’s three-game winning streak. The Avalanche still have defensive issues to sort out, but this one was the kind of statement they needed.
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From Colorados perspective, it also helps explain why the Avalanche likely stayed out of the bidding. They do not currently have a pressing need for a goalie of Hellebuycks caliber, and even if they had wanted to jump in, matching that kind of offer would have been difficult. With other roster needs to address, this was the sort of transaction that probably looked fascinating from afar without ever really becoming practical. [Read more 🡒]
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Colorado has still gotten solid individual efforts, with Artturi Lehkonen and Jaden Schwartz among the players providing spark, but the broader issue has been getting the group to function at the same level from night to night. For a club with bigger ambitions, the concern is not just the results on this trip, but the fact that the usual fixes are not appearing to come easily. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Turn To Taylor Makar After A Road Trip Reality Check
After a disappointing road trip that left the club with consecutive losses, the Avalanche are turning to another Makar as they get ready to face the Lightning. Taylor Makar has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles, where he opened the season with three goals and one assist in six games, giving the organization another option as it tries to steady the roster and reset the tone.
Makars call-up adds an interesting wrinkle to a team looking for a quick response, especially with the schedule now bringing Tampa Bay into the picture. Colorado does not have much margin for another flat outing, so the recall feels like both a reward for strong early play in the AHL and a chance for the Avalanche to inject a little new energy after a rough stretch on the road. [Read more 🡒]