Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen did it again.
Just when it seemed like the Avalanche’s dynamic duo was on its way to a quiet night, the pair was involved in each of the last three goals, helping Colorado erase a two-goal deficit to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in overtime.
The Avs led 2-0, then trailed 4-2 before Rantanen and MacKinnon combined for three straight power-play goals late in regulation and in the overtime period. Rantanen also scored earlier in the evening to finish with four points for the third time in five games. J.T. Compher had the Avs’ opening goal. Colorado was 0-for-4 on the power play in the first period before bouncing back on the man advantage in the later stages of the game.
Despite their failed attempt at collecting a regulation win, the Avalanche (49-24-6, 104 points) continued to build on their Central Division lead. They lead the Dallas Stars by two points and have opened a four-point lead on Minnesota, who sits third in the Central Division. All three teams have three games remaining to close out the regular season.
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Winners of five straight, the Avs now suddenly find themselves within reach of first in the entire Western Conference. Though the Vegas Golden Knights remain in the driver’s seat in that race, things could shift toward Colorado’s favor over the next several days. The Knights close out the season with a two-game set against the Seattle Kraken, who have won four straight games. If Vegas falls in one of those games, the top seed in the West could be had.
Colorado hosts Edmonton on Tuesday before closing out with a back-to-back vs. Winnipeg and at Nashville starting Thursday. In the scenario that Vegas loses one of its last two games, the winner of the Avs and Oilers matchup on Tuesday would suddenly control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the West. In other words: Winning all three of the games remaining on the schedule would give the Avalanche a massive opportunity to overtake the Golden Knights.
While the Avs continue to focus on controlling home ice in the playoffs, their road record in the regular season is reaching new heights. The Avalanche have broken franchise records for most consecutive road wins (10), most road wins in a season (28) and most points collected on the road (28-11-1, 57 points). They have one road game remaining — the finale in Nashville on Friday.
Rantanen’s offensive explosion also was memorable for personal and team milestones. His second goal of the evening gave him 100 points on the season for the first time in his career. It was also his 54th, which tied Joe Sakic for the most goals in a single season among Avalanche skaters. The former captain had 54 in 2000-01 when the Avs last won the Cup before 2022. It was also the first time the Avs had multiple players reach 100 points since 1995-96 when both Sakic and Peter Forsberg surpassed the century mark.
Rantanen has 102 points in 79 games while MacKinnon has 107 in 68 games.