Nathan MacKinnon was on fire Thursday night, channeling any lingering frustration from his recent ejection into a stellar performance against the Seattle Kraken. With a goal and three assists, MacKinnon led the Colorado Avalanche to a commanding 5-1 victory at Climate Pledge Arena. His efforts not only bolstered his league-leading goal tally to 44 but also brought him tantalizingly close to Connor McDavid in the points race, just two points shy of the top spot with 108.
Martin Necas contributed significantly with a goal and an assist, while Devon Toews chipped in two assists. Nic Roy found the back of the net on a power play, and Nazem Kadri celebrated his first goal in an Avalanche jersey since his memorable overtime winner in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
The Avalanche, now sitting at 44-11-9, have carved out a five-point lead over the Dallas Stars for the Central Division's top seed, with the luxury of a game in hand.
Between the pipes, Scott Wedgewood was a wall, stopping 28 shots to maintain his perfect 5-0 record since the Olympic break. This victory also marked his 25th win of the season, tying him for fifth-most in the NHL.
The Avs' top line of MacKinnon, Necas, and Kadri wasted no time setting the tone. Just 3:45 into the game, Necas notched his 30th goal of the season, thanks to a slick setup by MacKinnon and a touch from Toews. This milestone made Necas the third Colorado forward to hit the 30-goal mark, joining MacKinnon and Brock Nelson.
Necas later returned the favor with a dazzling cross-ice pass to MacKinnon, whose attempt to connect with Kadri deflected off Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson, slipping past goalie Joey Daccord to make it 2-0 at 12:54.
Late in the first period, a high stick from Jordan Eberle on Necas resulted in a four-minute power play for the Avs. Roy capitalized, extending the lead to 3-0 at 18:48.
The Kraken swapped goalies at the intermission, bringing in Philipp Grubauer, who conceded two goals on 11 shots, while Daccord had faced 15.
Seattle's lone goal came shorthanded, courtesy of Ryker Evans. This highlighted an ongoing issue for Colorado, as shorthanded goals have plagued their power play all season.
Before the second period concluded, Kadri redirected a point shot from Sam Malinski, pushing the score to 4-1. Joel Kiviranta sealed the deal with the Avs' fifth goal in the third, marking his sixth goal in his last five games against the Kraken.
Good: A Breather for the Avs
After a grueling stretch against Dallas, Minnesota, and Edmonton, the Avs were due for a smoother ride. They had to dig deep for shootout wins against the Stars and Wild and came up just short against the Oilers. This game, however, was a different story.
Head coach Jared Bednar took advantage of the early lead to evenly distribute ice time. Cale Makar was the only defenseman logging over 20 minutes, while forwards like Necas, MacKinnon, and Kadri saw balanced playing time, thanks to the comfortable cushion established before the first intermission.
Bad: Shorthanded Goals Still a Concern
The Avs' Achilles' heel this season has been their vulnerability to shorthanded goals. Despite the win, allowing another one is a red flag. While it didn’t change the outcome this time, it's a recurring issue that needs addressing if they’re to maintain their dominance.