DENVER, CO — Nathan MacKinnon’s exceptional performance led the Colorado Avalanche to a dominant 6-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks at the Ball Arena on Sunday. MacKinnon scored two goals and added two assists, extending his point streak to 15 games, the longest active streak in the NHL and matching his career-best.
MacKinnon’s contribution was pivotal in the Avalanche’s response after a 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. His 27 points during the streak, comprising eight goals and 19 assists, have been crucial for Colorado. Moreover, he has maintained a season-opening home point streak, now at 16 games with 11 goals and 21 assists.
Supporting MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin, and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Avalanche, who improved to a 19-10-2 record. Jonathan Drouin provided two assists, and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves, contributing significantly to the team’s victory.
The Sharks, struggling with a 9-19-3 record, saw Tomas Hertl scoring twice, and Mikael Granlund providing two assists. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves but couldn’t prevent the Sharks’ defeat, despite the team earning points in four of their past five games.
Colorado took an early lead with Nichushkin’s power-play goal at 7:18 of the first period, followed by Rantanen making it 2-0 with another power-play goal at 12:15. Miles Wood extended the lead to 3-0 late in the first period.
MacKinnon’s goal early in the second period further increased the Avalanche’s lead. Hertl’s efforts cut the deficit for the Sharks, but Johansen’s goal in the third period and MacKinnon’s empty-netter sealed the win for Colorado.
The game was not without its challenges for the Sharks, who found themselves penalized heavily in the first period, disrupting their rhythm and tempo.
In terms of milestones, MacKinnon passed Milan Hejduk for the fourth-most points in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history. Devon Toews recorded an assist for his 200th NHL point, and Georgiev achieved his 40th win of 2023, the most among all goaltenders this calendar year, surpassing Patrick Roy’s previous record.
The Avalanche’s victory was a showcase of their offensive firepower and MacKinnon’s exceptional form. The team will look to build on this performance, while the Sharks will aim to regroup and address the defensive lapses that cost them the game.
