Valeri Nichushkin netted two power-play goals, and Nathan MacKinnon notched an assist to extend his season-opening home point streak to 23 games, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night.
Alexandar Georgiev recorded 25 saves for his second shutout of the season. Logan O’Connor scored a third-period goal, and Mikko Rantanen provided two assists, helping the Avalanche secure their sixth win in seven games.
MacKinnon became the fourth player in NHL history to achieve a season-opening home point streak of at least 23 games.
“His game is always high,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “He consistently finds ways to impact the game.”
Colorado controlled the game’s tempo, a significant turnaround from their 7-0 loss to Vegas on Nov. 4, where Georgiev allowed all seven goals on 34 shots.
Vegas had to adjust their goaltending plans when Adin Hill, initially expected to start after recovering from a lower-body injury, was declared unavailable. Jiri Patera stepped in and made 32 saves. The Golden Knights also recalled Isaiah Saville from Henderson of the AHL as backup. Logan Thompson remains out due to illness.
“Patera played great,” said Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson. “It’s disappointing we couldn’t support his performance.”
The struggling Golden Knights have now lost seven of their last nine games.
“We need to be better. We haven’t been on top of our game,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. “That’s why we’ve lost so many games.”
Georgiev made several impressive saves throughout the game and got a fortunate break when a shot hit the post in the second period.
“Perfect game for me,” Bednar said. “Against good teams, you’ll face a few grade-A chances.”
Nichushkin scored two power-play goals to give Colorado a 2-0 lead by the end of the second period, both set up by passes from Rantanen behind the net.
MacKinnon assisted on Nichushkin’s second goal, joining an elite group of players who have achieved a home point streak of at least 23 games at the start of a season. According to NHL Stats, this list includes Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Phil Esposito.
Additionally, MacKinnon tied Joe Sakic’s record (2000-01) for the longest home point streak at any stage of a season in franchise history.
“It’s a different speed with (MacKinnon) out there,” said O’Connor. “He’s a guy that we can rely on every single night. He’s a horse out there, and he’s easy to follow. He’s doing all the right things.”
Both teams were missing key players. Vegas forward Michael Amadio was a late scratch due to illness. The team also announced that William Carrier had surgery for an upper-body injury, which is considered week-to-week.
The Avalanche were missing Josh Manson (lower-body injury) and Miles Wood (illness). Captain Gabriel Landeskog, expected to miss his second consecutive season due to knee surgery, appeared at the morning skate.
“Whenever he’s around, he always brings a good energy,” Bednar said.
UP NEXT
- Golden Knights: Host Boston on Thursday night.
- Avalanche: Start a five-game trip Saturday night at Toronto.