yankton_net
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon notched a goal and three assists, Nazem Kadri scored his first goal of the season, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 on Friday night.
Devon Toews, Fedor Svechkov, Artturi Lehkonen, and Martin Necas also found the net for Colorado, which bounced back from consecutive road losses. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves in the win.
Jake Guentzel scored twice and Charle-Edouard D'Astous added another for Tampa Bay, whose three-game winning streak came to an end. Nikita Kucherov was held off the scoresheet and remains one goal or assist away from becoming the franchise's all-time points leader; he currently has 1,137 points, tied with Steven Stamkos.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 of 23 shots for the Lightning, including a save on MacKinnon's liner that hit his mask. Guentzel's goal with 42.7 seconds left in the second period cut the deficit to 4-2, but Colorado's unsuccessful challenge for a missed stoppage led to a Tampa Bay power play that failed to convert. The Lightning struggled with the man advantage throughout the game.
MacKinnon's goal with 15:42 remaining gave the Avalanche a 5-2 cushion, and Necas sealed the win with a late empty-net tally. Logan O'Connor returned to the lineup after missing the start of the season with a lower-body injury; he recently lost his father, Myles, a former NHL defenseman, at age 59.
The game featured the league's two longest-tenured coaches, Jon Cooper of Tampa Bay and Jared Bednar of Colorado. Cooper took over the Lightning in March 2013 and has won two Stanley Cups, while Bednar was hired by the Avalanche in August 2016 and won one Cup in 2022 against the Lightning.
Key Analysis
MacKinnon's four-point performance was the driving force behind Colorado's offensive outburst, while Blackwood's 31 saves provided stability in net. The Avalanche's ability to capitalize on their chances and kill off Tampa Bay's power plays proved decisive. For the Lightning, the loss not only snapped their winning streak but also delayed Kucherov's milestone. The matchup between the two longest-tenured coaches added another layer of intrigue to an already compelling interconference clash.
Originally reported by yankton_net.