Sold-out crowds continue to occupy the maximum amount of space that is left in each arena on the road just to witness how ridiculously good the Colorado Avalanche is on all levels.
Colorado’s dominating performance last night against Ottawa was a great display of the intensity that this team has when every player on the roster shows up to do damage to their opps, playing each specific role given.
Josh Manson started off his monstrous performance by striking first, scoring the first goal of the game and setting the tone for the rest of the night, dropping the gloves with Tyler Kleven during the 1st period.
Mason was the 1st Star of the game with four total points. Two goals, two assists, and one fight is how the night ended for Josh “Manimal” Manson, one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL.
The good old “Gordie Howe Hat Trick”, every child’s dream, and he was only one more fight away from having two “Gordie Howe Hat Tricks” which seldom happens.
Josh Manson on his career high performance and fight with Tyler Kleven:
“That was fun. I don’t think (Dad) has ever seen that before. He’s seen me fight, he’s seen me score. But he’s never seen that… Actually, nobody has ever seen that out of me before.
- Colorado Defenseman Josh Manson
On an 8-goal night for the Avalanche, 6 of those goals were buried during the 2nd period.
Cale Makar, Marty Necas, Brent Burns, Brock Nelson (2 goals), and Josh Manson, all hit the back of the net during the 2nd period, giving Colorado a commanding lead with no light at the end of the tunnel for Ottawa.
Colorado had 11 different players log a point or more, and five players each log 3+ points through the first 2 periods in the game. The last team to put up these ridiculous numbers was the Buffalo Sabers back in 2022, this being the first time in franchise history for the Colorado Avalanche.
After 40 minutes in the game:
Josh Manson (4 Points, 2 goals, 2 assists)
Nathan MacKinnon (4 Points, 1 goal, 3 assists)
Ross Colton (3 Points, 3 assists)
Brock Nelson (3 Points, 2 goals, 1 assist)
Cale Makar (3 Points, 1 goal, 2 assists)
Nathan MacKinnon was the 2nd Star of the Night, as the “Head Commander in Charge” setting up lucrative plays for Colorado with 4 points (1 goal & 3 assists). This was all after he showed frustration, cracking his stick in half while making his way to the bench after a few disastrous plays beforehand.
Through 43 games, Nathan MacKinnon is in a league of his own having 25 multi-point games, 3+ points in 12 games, and 4+ points in 5 games.
After tonight’s victory, for the second year in a row, Cale Makar became the first defenseman to hit the 50-point mark this season. His strong performance tonight played a huge part in giving Colorado their 16th win in a row at home.
Colorado is clicking and pumping on the +/- chart as they have eight of the top 15 NHL players in that category, proving that this isn’t just a one or two man show.
They’ll keep the pressure on opposing teams in Denver and continue to keep their winning streak alive for the next six games at Ball Arena.
Dante Robinson | Senior NHL Analyst for The NSR Network
