Devon Toews called out unnamed teammates after Colorado’s poor performance at Chicago on Tuesday night. Chances are the defenseman wasn’t referring to Nathan MacKinnon.
MacKinnon has been otherworldly over the past month, and Thursday night was a historic continuation of his dominant play. He became the first Avalanche player to score four goals in one game since the team moved to Denver in 1995 and his 17-game point streak is the longest current one in the NHL.
He’ll try to extend it to 18 when Colorado hosts the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night. MacKinnon also has a point in all 17 home games this season.
The game will be the last for both teams before the holiday break but it’s doubtful MacKinnon will be mentally on vacation. He has 10 goals and 14 assists in 11 December games and the last time he failed to record a point was Nov. 18 at Dallas. He has at least one in 23 of the past 25 games.
“He’s playing and skating, making plays and being hard to play against and defending hard,” said linemate Mikko Rantanen, who had a pair of goals Thursday night. “He plays a 200-foot game and it’s fun to watch. I just try to play with him and keep up with his speed. It’s good for our team.”
Colorado needed all five of MacKinnon’s points to overcome Ottawa on Thursday night and avoid losing two in a row to a pair of teams with 43 points, entering Friday, combined this season. The Avalanche have struggled in stretches of games, which is why Toews spoke from the heart after the loss to the Blackhawks.
Colorado also got some good news on Friday when the league announced defenseman Sam Girard was cleared to practice with the team by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program as he enters the follow-up phase of the program.
Arizona has a player that has caught fire, albeit not as hot as MacKinnon. Clayton Keller has a goal in three straight games, which has coincided with the Coyotes’ four-game winning streak. He had three points in the 5-2 win at San Jose on Thursday night.
“He’s playing rock solid,” Coyotes coach André Tourigny said Thursday night. “I think he’s worked really hard all season long. He has been good away from the puck.
“I think he’s a player who has high determination. He’s going inside, he’s going at the net, he’s getting in the primary area and he has a really good IQ.”
Saturday is the first of a home-and-home between the teams, with the next meeting in Arizona on Wednesday after the holiday break. The Coyotes have already won six road games this season, one shy of their total from last year.
“If you can be .500 on the road and good at home, you have a good chance to make the playoffs,” Nick Schmaltz said. “So that’s what we’re striving for. We were bad last year on the road, so taking more pride and trying to play a little bit more simple.”
–Field Level Media
