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Coming off what star center Nathan MacKinnon called his team’s “best win of the year,” the Colorado Avalanche will put a five-game winning streak on the line when they travel to Edmonton to face Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Saturday night.
Colorado has had a few days to enjoy its 4-3 overtime victory at Western Conference-leading Vancouver on Wednesday, a win that moved the Avalanche into a first-place tie in the Central Division with the Dallas Stars.
Valeri Nichushkin scored the game-winner 30 seconds into overtime when MacKinnon’s shot from the top of the left circle bounced off the back of Vancouver defenseman Noah Juulsen and then ricocheted off the visor of Nichushkin hunched over in front of the crease and into the net.
The goal capped a furious comeback by the Avs, who trailed 3-0 late in the second period but rallied to score four consecutive goals against Vancouver. MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen led the way with a goal and an assist each.
Colorado outshot the Canucks, 17-3, in the third period.
“Best win of the year, for sure,” said MacKinnon, who leads the league in scoring with 115 points. “We didn’t quit. … I thought we really dominated the third period, which is what we always want to do. Really excited by that win tonight.”
MacKinnon extended his point streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the league, while Rantanen has an 11-gamer. Cale Makar had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev finished with 18 saves to move into a tie with Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko for the league lead in wins with 34.
Now the Avalanche head to Edmonton to play the Oilers, who won their second straight, 7-2, over the visiting Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Zach Hyman scored a natural hat trick, his fourth of the season and fifth of his career, Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists and McDavid added a goal and two assists for the Oilers, who are second in the Pacific Division with 83 points.
Edmonton improved to 37-12-2 (.745) since Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach on Nov. 12.
All eyes will be on the matchup between McDavid, a three-time Hart Trophy winner as the league’s most valuable player, and MacKinnon, who in an NHL.com voters poll released Friday is the frontrunner to win his first this season. McDavid, who is third in scoring with 106 points and has a 26-game home point streak (15 goals, 47 assists), is third in the poll behind second-place Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I think it should be a good game,” McDavid said after practice Friday. “Two really good teams that are playing well. They have some special players over there, and they’re doing a lot of really good things.”
With both teams among the favorites to win the Western Conference, McDavid was asked if it was a good litmus test for where the Oilers are heading into the final month of the season.
“I think it’s a great thing,” McDavid said. “To be able to test where your team is at and your game is at against one of the league’s best.”
McDavid said he is also looking forward to his showdown against MacKinnon.
“I’m always motivated to go up against the league’s best, and he would certainly fall into that category,” McDavid said. “A bunch of them would over there — Rantanen, Makar, (Devon) Toews — they’ve got an elite group over there, and I love testing myself against those type of guys.”
–Field Level Media
