News - Avalanche Triumph Over Blues, MacKinnon Reaches 400 Career Goals

Nathan MacKinnon delivered a milestone performance, netting two goals to exceed 400 career goals and assisting on two others as the Colorado Avalanche decimated the St. Louis Blues 6-1. This victory marked Colorado's ninth consecutive win, further solidifying their dominant season. Valeri Nichushkin celebrated his second career hat trick, and Brock Nelson notched his 300th career assist, marking a night of remarkable individual achievements for the Avalanche. Josh Manson contributed two assists, showcasing strong defensive depth. MacKinnon, who now holds 401 goals, is only the third player in Avalanche history to reach the 400-goal milestone and is unique for achieving the feat entirely with Colorado. Notably, Joe Sakic and Michel Goulet reached similar heights but spent portions of their careers with different franchises. Mackenzie Blackwood delivered a formidable performance in goal, stopping 12 shots and only conceding in the waning minutes of the game to Dalibor Dvorsky, preventing him from securing a shutout. The Avalanche maintain an impressive record at home, remaining unbeaten in regulation with a 17-0-2 streak and having only two regulation losses over 39 games. St. Louis Blues' goaltender Jordan Binnington faced an offensive barrage, making 37 saves amidst a challenging game for the Blues, who recorded a season-low in shots and have now dropped two consecutive games. In a historic display of early dominance, the Avalanche began their scoring spree a minute into the contest, with Nichushkin and MacKinnon spearheading a scoring frenzy that achieved four goals in just 4 minutes and 39 seconds, setting a franchise record and ranking third-fastest in NHL history. With 34 goals this season, MacKinnon leads the NHL, tied at 70 points with the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid. Brock Nelson’s power-play goal marked the end of a three-game dry spell for Colorado's special teams, but the Avalanche surged ahead unfazed, with Nichushkin sealing the game at 16:06 in the third period.