The last time that the Colorado Avalanche played the Vegas Golden Knights, it did not go so well. Tonight was a different story as Valeri Nichushkin dominated the Golden Knights on the power play. Vegas put up a valiant effort with their AHL goalie in net and several key players missing out of the lineup. Colorado’s Josh Manson is still day-to-day and Miles Wood was out with the flu. The Avalanche played an aggressive game very similar to what they played against the Boston Bruins. And it paid off with a 3-0 shutout win. With the win tonight, the Avalanche moved into second place in the division and third in the league. Here are some takeaways from the victory over Vegas.
Takeaways
— Nichushkin cannot be stopped right now. He has six points in his last five games, five of them are goals. Out of those five goals, four of them are while on the man advantage. Nichushkin is now on pace to have a career year in which he could score 40 points. The most points he has scored in a year was 52 in 2021-22.
Valeri Nichushkin has the icebreaker! 🧊
🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/W9mpYG1lMO
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/toy5w5G6gm— NHL (@NHL) January 11, 2024
Can't stop, won't stop. #NHLAllStarVote Valeri Nichushkin #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/E6DYR1PSJO
— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 11, 2024
— Logan O’Connor is also on pace for a career year with his goal tonight. His goal that was assisted by Caleb Jones in the third period set up a bomb from the point. The goal would be the nail in the coffin for the Golden Knights. O’Connor is now on a five game point streak where he has had two goals and three assists. That may not seem like much, but for a player that has a career high 26 points, this is a lot. O’Connor is now on pace to score 32 points this season.
LOC'd in 💪#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/0wbeksA54O
— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 11, 2024
— Jiri Patera played a fantastic game for only playing seven NHL games. Patera normally has been the starter for the AHL Henderson Silver Knights, but with injuries to Adin Hill and Logan Thompson, he got the call. He was making saves you would not expect from a goalie that had no notice before the start. I have watched him play the Colorado Eagles, and he has always been a thorn in their side.
— Nathan MacKinnon tied a franchise record that has stood since 2000-01. He tied the home point streak record with former captain Joe Sakic of 23 games. During that streak, MacKinnon has accrued 16 goals and 30 assists. He is only two games away from tying the league record with Bobby Orr.
Nathan MacKinnon at home: You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.
The @Avalanche forward matched a franchise record for longest home point streak at any point in a season and continued his climb up this all-time NHL list. 🔽 👀 #NHLStats: https://t.co/PP6SbT8KjT pic.twitter.com/0RQbhrMmdE
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 11, 2024
Conclusion
The Avalanche have played some of their best hockey in the last two games. The Golden Knights did not bring their best roster tonight, but Colorado played a complete game. Colorado converted three of their 10 chances on the power play in the last two games. The Avalanche got destroyed against Florida, but have proved that game may have been a fluke. They may get some much needed help as Artturi Lehkonen will go on the road trip, just eight weeks after a horrendous neck injury. The genuine test may come on the upcoming road trip to Toronto on Saturday.