Heading into the Christmas break, things were really starting to look up for the Colorado Avalanche. The team’s 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken made it three wins in a row heading into the break, settling the team firmly in third place in the Central Division.
With Mackenzie Blackwood now signed to a five-year deal, the Avalanche looked to make it four in a row after a visit to Utah to face the Hockey Club. It was tight until late, but the Avalanche found a way to finish and walk away with the 4-1 win. Here are the three biggest takeaways from that game.
Chasing Down Back-to-Back MVPs
How can we not talk about Nathan MacKinnon, first and foremost? He has been on an absolute tear during this latest winning streak, posting a goal and nine assists over the stretch to extend his league lead in assists (46) and points (60).
We all thought that it would be too much to ask for him to follow up his incredible 140-point season, which netted him the Hart Trophy in 2023-24. Somehow, he is very close (1.62) to the unreal scoring pace (1.70) he set a season ago.
He might not hit 50 goals again but there is a solid chance that he threatens the 100-assist mark. He finds his way onto the stat sheet every night by being a disruptive creator who makes his linemates that much better.
The Game Was Largely a Goaltending Battle
Though the score may not show it, this was largely a battle of goaltenders coming into the contest. Since the Avalanche traded for Blackwood, they have had the level of goaltending they could have only dreamt of previously.
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Blackwood turned aside 34 of 35 on the night, making a couple of very big saves that kept the score tied 1-1 for the bulk of the contest. Karel Vejmelka of Utah was very good as well, ultimately turning aside 33 of 35 shots faced (the last two goals were empty-netters).
It can’t be talked about enough how nice it is to have confidence in your goaltending. Former Avalanche netminder Alex Georgiev was managing the complete opposite of that, and that reared its ugly head for the San Jose Sharks as they gave up four third-period goals in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Avalanche didn’t hesitate to lock Blackwood up because he has delivered on a new level.
Good Teams Finish Late
At the end of the day, good teams find a way to finish games. Artturi Lehkonen was the recipient of some beautiful passing between MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin, his second goal of the evening. It would go down as the game-winner, illustrating the depth of this Avalanche team.
Lehkonen added his third just under five minutes later, an empty-netter to put the dagger through a scrappy Utah team. The Avalanche, when healthy, have one of the deepest and toughest lineups in the NHL.
The good teams find a way to win even when things aren’t falling into place for them. The Avalanche got fantastic goaltending from Blackwood, buying them just enough time to find a way to grab the two points. This has truly been team hockey from the Avalanche of late.
A Team No One Wants to Play
That makes four in a row for the Avalanche, a team that has quietly become one no one wants to play. They have won eight of their last 10 games and have the longest current winning streak in the Central Division. They are just four points back of the Minnesota Wild for second in the division.
The Avalanche have the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Chicago Blackhawks coming before the difficulty goes up substantially. Going into the Jan. 9 game against the Wild with a potential nine-game winning streak would be massive and put the pressure on the two teams ahead of them in the standings.
