Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar recorded two goals and an assist each, Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist, and the streaking Colorado Avalanche scored three unanswered third-period goals to defeat the visiting New York Rangers 6-3 in on Thursday night in Denver.
Martin Necas registered three assists and Scott Wedgewood stopped 16 shots and recorded his first career assist to help Colorado win its seventh in a row. The Avalanche are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games and have just one regulation loss in their first 20 games.
MacKinnon’s three points moved him past Peter Stastny on the franchise scoring list. MacKinnon is now second with 1,051 points, behind only Joe Sakic’s 1,641 points.
Thirty seconds after New York’s J.T. Miller tied the game at 3-3, MacKinnon tallied the winner when he backhanded Makar’s rebound past netminder Igor Shesterkin at 10:48 of the third.
Makar and Ross Colton added empty-net goals in the final 1:25 to seal the victory.
Miller scored two goals and Adam Edstrom added a tally for the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox contributed two assists each and Shesterkin made 29 saves. The Rangers have lost the first three games on their road trip that wraps up Saturday night in Utah.
Miller, who had one goal in his previous 10 games, scored his first when Zibanejad’s shot from the left circle went off his skate and in at 2:26 of the first period.
The goal came just nine seconds into New York’s power play.
Colorado didn’t score on its two power-play chances but evened it in the final minute of the first period. Samuel Girard passed from the point to Necas in the left circle. Necas’ shot went off the skate of Rangers defenseman Vadislav Gavrikov to the right of Shesterkin, and MacKinnon knocked it in at 19:33.
Edstrom put New York back in front 3:57 into the second period when he redirected Sam Carrick’s centering pass by Wedgewood, but Makar tied it again late in the frame. Necas sent a pass to Makar, who skated down the right side of the offensive zone, stickhandled around the back of the net and then stuffed the puck between Shesterkin’s skate and the post.
Nelson scored a power play goal at 2:36 of the third period to give the Avalanche their first lead of the game.
–Field Level Media
