Recap: Avalanche dismantle Kings in 5-1 victory
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
A three-goal first period put this game away early. One final game before a ten-day break and the Colorado Avalanche were looking to go out on a high note. And that’s exactly what they did handily beating the LA Kings in this contest which was basically over after the first period.
The Game
It didn’t take long for the Avalanche to continue the party from their win over Washington as at 7:44 Logan O’Connor rifled the puck past a Kings netminder Cam Talbot after receiving a great stretch pass from Sam Girard. But the momentum just kept going Colorado’s way when O’Connor potted his second goal of night at 14:55. Then Nathan MacKinnon put the cherry on top with his own goal at 18:30 to keep his home point streak going. All three goals were great breakouts and passing plays showing how well the team is clicking at the moment. With a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard and 12-7 advantage in shots the home team was well in control of the game.
The Kings started the period by getting one goal back on the power play from Kevin Fiala at 6:20. After a huge save where Alexandar Georgiev held the post against Fiala who was sprung on a breakaway coming out of the box the Avalanche took the play the other way and Josh Manson finished it off with his sixth goal of the year at 11:44.
After the first 40 minutes of play the game was pretty much over but Cale Makar added a power play goal just 30 seconds into the third period to punctuate this win and bring the final score to a 5-1 Avalanche victory.
Takeaways
Nathan MacKinnon posted a goal and assist in this contest which puts him back in the NHL points lead with 84 to Nikita Kucherov’s 83. Tampa Bay has one more game tomorrow night before the break to tie and tie MacKinnon before All-Star weekend. MacKinnon also ties the record for second longest home point streak to open the season with now 25 games with an absurd 21 goals and 32 assists. This is just the start of what will be an exciting second half of the season for the Avalanche superstar.
Alexandar Georgiev had a strong start making several big saves and looked sharp in only letting one puck past him on the penalty kill. The 26-save effort was good for his 27th win on the season and this two-game stretch lets him bring some good momentum into the All-Star game and break.
Also staying hot was Logan O’Connor with another multi-goal performance. His teammates were trying to feed him for another hat trick late in the name but no such luck. He was awarded first star of the game for his efforts. To celebrate, watch this feature on everyone’s favorite depth forward.
Is this the best hockey we’ve seen Logan O’Connor play?1⃣⭐️Tonight's 1st star w/ 2 goals in the 1st period.New from Guerilla Sports, our one-on-one feature with LOC + @jessemontano_ #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/X9nCAnyrn9— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) January 27, 2024
Upcoming
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition featuring Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar kicks off at 7 p.m. ET from Toronto on Friday, February 2nd. ...
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