The Colorado Avalanche kicked off December with their second meeting of the 2025-26 season against the Vancouver Canucks. The last time these two teams met, the Avalanche won 5-4 in overtime on Nov. 9 in Vancouver. The Canucks have won two games in their last 10 and were looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Regarding the Avalanche, they won their previous game against the Montreal Canadiens and were looking to extend their point streak to 17 games. As the final horn sounded, the Avalanche defeated the Canucks 3-1 to extend their point streak.
Game Recap
The first 20 minutes saw two goals, one from each side. It was Linus Karlsson from the Canucks who scored the first goal of the game after getting a cross-ice, cross-crease pass from Arshdeep Bains. He deked at the last second to get the puck on his backhand to stretch it past a far-reaching leg of Scott Wedgewood. It was his fifth of the season, which put the Canucks out 1-0 just under three minutes into the game.
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The Avalanche were pressuring Kevin Lankanen and the Canucks the whole period, to the point where they outshot the visitors 14-8 in the first period. At the 19:23 mark of the period, who else but Nathan MacKinnon was the one who tied the game up 1-1. His 21st goal of the season, and 45th point, came after he picked up the rebound on a Devon Toews deflection attempt on a Sam Malinski shot. MacKinnon was johnny on the spot and tied the game with under a minute left in the opening frame.
The second period saw two goals, both from the Avalanche. A tad before, there were six minutes left in the middle frame, Ross Colton made a play to find Gabriel Landeskog, which led to a 2-on-1 for the captain. Landeskog found Brock Nelson and set him up perfectly to score his ninth of the season. It was a smooth passing sequence from the Avalanche to get their first lead of the matchup.
MacKinnon, with under a minute left in the period, again doubled the Avalanche lead to 3-1 after receiving a pass from Landeskog right into his wheelhouse. He blasted home the one-timer to give him his second goal of the game, and 22nd of the season. The assist from Landeskog was his second of the game, giving him nine on the season.
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The third period did not see any goals, but the Avalanche held down the two-goal lead all the way to the final horn. They were outshot 9-5 in the period, but overall, they outshot the Canucks 31-22 after 60 minutes of play.
The Avalanche extend their point streak to 17 games, going 14-0-3 in that span. They’re also 11-0-2 at home at Ball Arena this season. The win has them with a record of 18-1-6, and their next game is on Thursday, Dec. 4, against the New York Islanders. Regarding the Canucks, they’re 10-13-3 on the season and are on a three-game losing streak. Their next game is on Friday, Dec. 5, against the Utah Mammoth.
