It was a night to remember for Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche.
MacKinnon became the 100th player in NHL history to secure his 1,000th career point, and the Avalanche completed a perfect six-game homestand with a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Monday evening at Ball Arena. Scott Wedgewood was also brilliant in net with his second shutout of the season and the eighth of his career in a 22-save performance.
Artturi Lehkonen scored the game-winning goal, while Martin Nečas and Joel Kiviranta each scored for the Avalanche.
It was also the first game for perennial Av Erik Johnson since he returned to the club in a trade just before the deadline Friday. The 2006 first overall pick received a loud ovation when he jumped onto the ice for his first shift.
Newly acquired Chicago netminder Spencer Knight was superb for most of the game and made some highlight-reel saves, but took the loss in an 18-save performance on 20 shots.
First Period
The game started off with a “DOH!” moment when Conor Bedard was called for tripping just 10 seconds into the game, sending Colorado on a quick power play. The Avalanche entered the game, converting nine of their last 14 on the man-advantage. However, they failed to convert this time around.
Bedard was once again in the mix and not for a good reason, as he was checked from behind by Ryan Lindgren moments before getting struck in the throat with a puck. The play was immediately whistled dead by the officials as Bedard painfully made his way to the bench. He ended up recovering and finished the game.
Nečas had a goal waved off after he was found to be offside in a prolonged review. It was also a bummer for MacKinnon, who would have an assist on the play and saw his 1,000th career point stripped away. He celebrated for just under a minute as his teammates all joined the ice to congratulate him, just for the goal to be challenged and overturned.
MacKinnon got another opportunity with just over eight minutes to go in the opening period, but this time, he rang a wrister off the post. In the following play, Wedgewood was knocked on his backside, but no goaltender interference was called, forcing Wedgewood to become a ballerina. He threw up his glove and made one of the most impressive saves of the year.
Second Period
The second period started off with some adversity for the Avalanche. Miles Wood was whistled for goalie interference after he tripped and crashed into Knight. Moments later, Cale Makar was called for tripping. Some tense moments followed when Johnson sent Tyler Bertuzzi crashing into the net, knocking it off its moorings, and Johnson continued to whack him after the whistle.
Wedgewood had another save-of-the-year candidate when he robbed Falino on a Dominik Hasek-esque butterfly glove save, which drew roars of applause from the home fans. Time was subsequently called to repair one of the rink microphones and glass. Both suffered damage from the puck and required a ladder to conduct the operation. The microphone was covered with black tape, while the glass required more meticulousness.
When they returned to action, Johnson was sent to the box for tripping, giving Chicago its fourth power play of the game. However, not only did they fail to convert, but the power play also didn’t last very long as Ryan Donato was reprimanded after tripping Lindgren and sending him crashing to his backside against the boards. Colorado also failed to convert.
At the end of two, the game continued to be a goaltender spectacle, with Knight stopping all 15 shots, while Wedgewood shut the door on 12.
Third Period
Suddenly 31 seconds into the third frame, MacKinnon got his 1,000th career point for real this time. He dropped the puck to Devon Toews for a snapshot at the right point, and Lehkonen deflected it past Knight.
The Avalanche made it a 2-0 game when MacKinnon set up Nečas on the following shift for point No. 1,001 at 3:27. The goal was No. 22 on the year for Nečas and MacKinnon’s 75th assist, which gave him a league-leading 102 points.
Kiviranta added an empty-netter in the final minute to cap off yet another victory for Colorado on home ice.
Takeaways
MacKinnon is the third player to score 1,000 points with the Avalanche, joining the likes of Joe Sakic and Peter Stastny. The first two periods were closely contested and very technical. Colorado also overcame some questionable officiating at points in the game and continued to focus on the task at hand.
Jared Bednar and the Avalanche should be very proud of how this team is performing.
Next Game:
Colorado (39-24-2) currently stands points ahead of the Minnesota Wild (36-24-4) for third place in the Central Division. Their next game will be on the road against their division rivals on Tuesday evening. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. local time.
The Avs are now four points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division. They will be in the Twin Cities on Tuesday night to face the Wild. The winner of the game will win their three-game season series, as both teams each have a victory.
