MacKinnon Sparks Avs In St. Louis

Nathan MacKinnon got the Colorado Avalanche started and helped the club pick up the win in one of the toughest arenas in the league.
The Colorado center and Hart Trophy candidate for NHL MVP scored the first two goals and had an assist Thursday night in the Avs' 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, ending a five-game losing streak at Scottrade Center.

The Blues were 13-2-0 versus the Avalanche in their last 15 games in St. Louis, but Colorado finally broke through with its third win in a row. The Avs have now picked up at least a point in nine straight contests, going 6-0-3 in that time.
"It's nice. We didn't have a very good record against these guys for the past few seasons, I think we were due," MacKinnon said of the victory in the Show Me State. "We were feeling good after that Minnesota win (on Tuesday). Obviously, it's not an easy place to play or get much offense, but it felt like we really capitalized on our chances."
MacKinnon's three-point night brings his season totals to 35 goals and 85 points and his points-per-game average to 1.37, the highest in the league. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native's 35 tallies are the most by an Avalanche player since 2006-07 when Milan Hejduk had 35 and Joe Sakic had 36.
The 22-year-old's eighth multi-goal game of the campaign also stretched his season-high point streak to 10 games. He had the last double-digit point streak by a Colorado player when he reached 13 contests during his rookie campaign of 2013-14. That stretch broke Wayne Gretzky's NHL record for the longest by an 18-year-old (previously 12 games).

Both of MacKinnon's goals came from him finding open space on the left side. He opened the game's scoring at 10:11 of the first period when he took a pass from Mikko Rantanen and tossed the puck far side, past Blues goalie Jake Allen.
"I think he had it set for short side and then he kind of changed his mind last second it looked like," said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who had one of his three helpers in the outing on MacKinnon's first marker. "Kind of slinged it far side and it ended up working. When you're hot, you're hot."

MacKinnon's second of the night and 35th of the season came 2:52 later on his very next shift, burying a loose puck in front after Tyson Barrie's point shot.
That marker held as the game-winner, and MacKinnon is now tied for first in the NHL with 11 game-winning goals on the season--third most in franchise history behind only Sakic (12, Colorado, 2000-01) and Michel Goulet (16, Quebec, 1983-84).
"We were a little opportunistic tonight. We scored on the right chances, and we did some good things," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. "I think [the Blues] were pushing real hard, they were coming at our D-core, they were coming at us in our own end. I thought Varly was outstanding again. We had the right guys [be] difference makers tonight. Our top guys were the top guys all around."
MacKinnon assisted on Mikko Rantanen's insurance goal into the empty net with 48 seconds remaining for his 85th point of the campaign, fourth most in the league. The helper also allowed him to become the first Avalanche player to reach 50 assists in a season since 2009-10 (Paul Stastny, 59).

Colorado is getting hot at the right time of the season with 12 games remaining and six of its next eight outings at Pepsi Center, where the club is 24-8-2 this year.
The Avalanche regained the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 84 points (37-24-8) with Thursday's win and is only one point behind the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division and an automatic playoff berth.
"We have points in our last nine games, and we're a really solid hockey team," MacKinnon said. "Hopefully we get some guys back from injuries. We know we have four lines that can play, that can score, and it's been fun."
The Avs will look to keep the good times rolling when it hosts another Central Division nemesis in the Nashville Predators on Friday in Denver. Nashville is in first place in the division and conference with 102 points (46-14-10).
"We're confident. We feel like we're really good on home ice, and I think getting road wins will just increase our confidence as a team," MacKinnon said. "We feel like we can play with anybody right now."

TEAM MIKKO TO THE RESCUE

Mikko Rantanen tied a career high with four points on Thursday in St. Louis. It was the third time this season that he has reached the mark.
The right wing scored twice and had two helpers to bring his season totals to 25 goals, 49 assists and 74 points.
His first goal with 3:31 left in the second period was a thing of beauty. He took a stretch pass from Gabriel Landeskog at the St. Louis blue line and rushed to the net from the right side before flicking a backhand shot up and over Jake Allen. That gave Colorado back a two-goal advantage at 3-1 heading into the second intermission.

"It was a great job by [Landeskog] to track all the way down and steal the puck," Rantanen recalled. "They had a bad change. I fell down in the O-zone, that is why I was so far away. He found me with a good pass and I tried to finish it and this time I did, so it's good."
Rantanen has now registered points in four straight contests (three goals and seven assists) and has eight goals and 16 assists in his past 17 games. His 24 points since Feb. 10 are tied for the second most in the league in that time.

GNARLY VARLY

Avs goaltender Semyon Varlamov was strong early and impossible to beat late as he made 44 saves in the victory.
Varlamov made several key stops in the opening minutes to keep the game scoreless and finished the first frame with 13 saves. He was even better in the last stanza as the Blues did all they could to get back into the game, firing 22 shots but none getting past the netminder.
"I just try to play my best every night because every point matters," Varlamov said. "Every point counts at this time of the year. Right now, it's like the playoffs for us. Every game is a huge game, and I'm very proud of the way we played today. I'm really proud of this team, we battled for 60 minutes."

Varlamov's 44 stops are tied for his second most of the year, behind only his career-high, 57-save performance on Nov. 2 versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Samara, Russia, native was playing in his 15th straight contest, as he's had to shoulder the load for past few weeks with usual backup Jonathan Bernier out due to two separate head injuries.
"When Varly is battling like that, he's one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best," Nathan MacKinnon said. "He's definitely really stepped up since Bernier went down and Bernie did the same thing when Varly got hurt. It's nice that we have two goalies that are exceptional."

The Avs will have a decision to make for Friday's home game versus the first-place Nashville Predators, the second half of a back-to-back. Do they stay with Varlamov, or do they give him some rest and go with rookie backup Spencer Martin?
"I haven't talked to him yet," Bednar said of possibly playing Varlamov in consecutive nights. "I'll talk to him when we get on the plane, have a chat with him and make a decision before we land."
It would be hard to blame Bednar for going with the hot hand in between the pipes if he does choose the veteran. In nine games played since Feb. 26, Varlamov has gone 5-0-3 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.