Avs Head Into Bye Week With Win

In front of sold-out crowd of 18,046 fans at Pepsi Center on Saturday, the Colorado Avalanche showed that it is a team deserving of some respect with a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
The Avs are now on a five-game win streak, their longest since Dec. 12-19, 2015.

"To string those five games together, I think that's a statement," said captain Gabriel Landeskog. "Tonight, we knew how important this one was going to be. Obviously playing the Wild, we know what those games are going to be like and this one was fun. That was a lot of fun in a sold-out barn and 'Hedgie' night. This one was for him, and obviously two big points for us."

Before the game, Colorado retired former Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk's No. 23 jersey to the rafters of Pepsi Center. The current Avs squad was able to watch the ceremony from the bench and see the numerous highlights of Hejduk's 14-year career.
"We were talking about the Hejduk thing," said forward Mikko Rantanen. "It was an amazing atmosphere already when Hejduk's jersey got put to the roof, and after that we got ready and I think we got energy from that. The crowd was buzzing, so it was good for us."
With the win, Colorado improved to 5-1-0 on jersey retirement nights.
"The Milan Hejduk event at the start, I think was a great look at some of the history of this proud franchise and our guys really enjoyed it," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. "We talked too about their preparation coming out of that. I think you see all the fans packed into the building, and they are already cheering before the game starts and it kind of gets the emotions up. Our guys came out and they played a passionate, spirited affair."

The team was on the bench to watch the ceremony, which featured a surprise visit from former Avs Alex Tanguay and Peter Forsberg, who walked onto the ice holding the Stanley Cup.
"I haven't been part of the organization for a long time, but it's such an honor to work for the Avalanche and I think that our players realize that," said Bednar. "They see that the appreciation the fans have for Joe (Sakic) and for Milan and Peter. I think that they see that, and they want to be part of that.
"It kind of gets you pumped up and fired up and ready to go before the game and that kind of led into our first period and our start. I thought we had a great jump, we were skating and playing the right way. It was a lot of fun, it was a fun night. Two great events."
The Avalanche started the game prepared for battle and ended the night with 28 hits, tying the most it has registered in a game this season (Nov. 4 at Philadelphia). The squad showed its energy in the beginning frame, outshooting the Wild 11-9 and went into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.
Gabriel Bourque registered his first goal in an Avalanche sweater. It was his first NHL marker since Nov. 10, 2015 when he played for the Nashville Predators.
"Great start to the game," Bednar said. "Bourque gets us on the board right away with a nice pass from Wilson, and we kind of hit our stride after that. I thought it was good all-around team effort from our group. Power play was clicking, PK was doing a good job, had all four lines playing and contributing. Great way to go into the break and finish up a real good homestand here."
The Avalanche finished 3-for-4 on the man advantage and is 13-for-38 (34.2 percent) in its last 10 games. Colorado's three power-play goals matched a season high (Dec. 23 at Arizona).

"Obviously we have won a couple of games here at home lately," said Carl Soderberg. "The crowd has been amazing so hopefully they stay with us the whole season."
Soderberg scored twice to pick up his second career multi-goal game, both of which have come this season. The center's first tally, the game-winning goal, is his first game-winner for the Avalanche and seventh of his career.
The Avalanche is now 22-16-3 after 41 contests, its most wins at the midway point of the season since the 2013-14 campaign.
The Avalanche now has 47 points this campaign and is presently in possession of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota and Colorado are tied points wise but the Avs have played one less game and win the tiebreaker.
"It was kind of playoff hockey," said Rantanen. "You look at the crowd, how pumped they were and a division rival in Minny. It's a big game and to get a 7-2 win, it shows the confidence we have right now."
Colorado's seven goals are the most the Avs have scored at home this campaign and matches a season high (Dec. 9 at Florida). The Avalanche is 10-3-1 in its last 14 games and owns a 6-1-0 mark in its last seven outings in the Mile High City.
"I think our guys should be proud of themselves and the first half of the season and what we have accomplished at this point in the season," Bednar said. "I think there is a lot of positives out of it. I think it's a time for our players and coaches and everyone to reflect on what we need to do better, and the things we have done really well that have given us some success and also to be pros and just make sure we are putting in a little work over the break."

HEADING INTO THE BYE WEEK

Colorado now starts its league-mandated bye week and has five days off from team activities before the Avs' next practice on Friday.
When the team does return to the ice, it will look to expand on its recent success.
"We are on a five-game winning streak right now," said Soderberg. "We are up there in the standings, and we get some guys back soon too so I think this bye week is pretty good for us. Rest a little bit and then come back strong."
Forwards Sven Andrighetto (lower body) and J.T. Compher (upper body) as well as goaltender Semyon Varlamov (lower body) could possibly be returning to game action following the break after suffering minor injuries over the last few weeks.
In the days off, Bednar would like to see his players stay motivated and be committed to being in their best shape so Colorado can pick up where it left off when it plays its next game at the Dallas Stars on Dec. 13.
"[We have] to be pros and just make sure we are putting in a little work over the break," said Bednar. "It doesn't matter where we are, we can get some conditioning in so we can continue to come back out of the break and play the exact same way."

MORE GAME NOTES

The Avalanche scored at least six goals in a game for the seventh time this season, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the most such outings in 2017-18.
Rantanen (one goal, two assists) registered his third consecutive multi-point game, the first time in his career he's done so. Rantanen has accumulated eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last three outings and 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in his last 14 contests.
Nathan MacKinnon (one goal, two assists) registered his 16th career multi-point game, a career high for multi-point outings in a single campaign. He has three or more points in seven contests this season, the most by an Avalanche player since Paul Stastny had seven performances with three or more points during the 2009-10 campaign.
MacKinnon extended his point streak to five games (three goals, nine assists), bringing his season total to 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists), which ranks second in the league. His five-game assist streak matches a career high (Feb. 26-March 6, 2014).
Alex Kerfoot finished with two assists and is now tied for fifth among NHL rookies in scoring. His 13 power-play points are tied for third among first-year players and 10 man-advantage assists rank second.
With an assist tonight, Samuel Girard has five points (five assists) in his last five outings.