Nathan MacKinnon absolutely went ballistic on Friday night, piling up a goal and three assists as the Colorado Avalanche took down the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3. It was exactly what the Avs needed, snapping them out of a two-game road skid.
Avs Light Up The Scoreboard, Shut Down Tampa’s Streak
This wasn’t just a win, it was a statement. MacKinnon was the catalyst, but he wasn’t alone. Nazem Kadri snagged his first goal of the season, and Devon Toews, Fedor Svechkov, and Artturi Lehkonen all found the back of the net. Martin Necas sealed it with an empty-netter late in the game, putting the Avs at a commanding 5-2 cushion after MacKinnon’s earlier goal with 15:42 left on the clock. Mackenzie Blackwood was solid in net, stopping 31 shots to keep the Lightning at bay. For Colorado, rebounding from back-to-back losses like this, especially against a team of Tampa Bay’s caliber, is huge early in the season. They looked hungry, and it paid off big time.
Lightning Stumble, Kucherov’s Milestone on Hold
It was a rough night for the Lightning, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a screeching halt. Jake Guentzel managed to light the lamp twice, and Charle-Edouard D’Astous added another, including Guentzel’s goal with 42.7 seconds left in the second period making it 4-2. But that was about all the good news. Andrei Vasilevskiy had a tough outing, stopping only 18 of 23 shots, even taking one off the mask from MacKinnon’s liner. The power play was a mess all night, and they couldn’t convert on the man advantage after the Avalanche unsuccessfully challenged a play for a missed stoppage. And can we talk about Nikita Kucherov? He was held completely in check, meaning he’s still stuck at 1,137 points, tied with Steven Stamkos for the franchise’s all-time career points leader. You know he’s itching to break that record, but it just wasn’t his night.
Logan O’Connor also made his return to the Avalanche lineup after missing the start of the season with a lower-body injury. It’s awesome to see him back on the ice, especially after the recent loss of his father, Myles, a former NHL defenseman. On the benches, it was a battle of the league’s longest-tenured coaches: Jon Cooper, who’s been with the Lightning since March 2013 and has two Cups, and Jared Bednar, who took over Colorado in August 2016 and won the 2022 Cup against none other than the Lightning. Even 2026 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was there, trophy in hand, drinking from it and soaking up the crowd’s cheers. What a night for Avs fans.
Up next, the Lightning hit the road again to face Utah on Saturday night. The Avalanche will travel to Nashville for a Sunday night matchup.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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