Former Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly scored twice in the first period and added an empty-netter to help the Blues erase a two-goal deficit and defeat Colorado 5-3.
But it was “dumb penalties,” according to Avs coach Jared Bednar that sank his team and ended their five-game winning streak. The game-winning goal was scored during a 5-on-3 power play as a result of penalties to Nazem Kadri and Ryan Graves.
O’Reilly made the Deen’s List for his performance. Let’s dive into the rest:
MacKinnon goes streaking
Nathan MacKinnon extended his point streak to 13 games. He recorded the secondary assist on the Avalanche’s first two goals and later added a power-play tally. MacKinnon has eight goals and 23 points during the stretch and is in the midst of a career-high eight-game assist streak (11).
MacKinnon is third in NHL scoring with 59 points, trailing only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (77) and Leon Draisaitl (64). He is also third in the NHL in points per game (1.44) and has recorded a pace of one assist per game (41 assists in 41 games).
Makar-ving his name in Avalanche history
Defenseman Cale Makar’s three-point performance gives him five goals and 35 points in 33 games. No Avs defenseman has ever recorded over a point-per-game pace for an entire season. In fact, Makar’s 0.88 mark in 2019-20 is the best in club history.
Makar has 85 career points in just 90 career regular-season games.
The O’Reilly factor
The former Avs center, drafted No. 33 overall in 2009, recorded his 600th career point on his first goal. He went on to add three more points to reach 603. O’Reilly spent the first seven years of his career in Colorado, recording 246 points.
O’Reilly was often ridiculed for what some considered to be outlandish contract demands. He was also adored by others, sometimes the same people, for his exceptional work ethic and being a great teammate.
O’Reilly was traded to Buffalo in 2015 and then to St. Louis three years later. He signed a seven-year $52.5 million contract extension with the Sabres weeks after being acquired. In his first year with the Blues, O’Reilly won the Stanley Cup and was named the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Power play powers on
The Avalanche have scored a power-play goal in each of their past five games. They were 4-for-16 heading into the Saturday matinee and ended 2-for-5. Colorado had a late opportunity on the power play to tie the game but was unable to capitalize. Despite that attempt, Colorado is 6-for-21 over its last five games.
The Avs have the West Division’s best power play and seventh-best in the league (24 percent). Their 41 power-play goals are the most in the NHL.
Dubnyk vs St. Louis
Dubnyk has started three games since being acquired from San Jose, all of which have come at St. Louis.
Before Saturday’s loss, Dubnyk and the Avs defeated the Blues twice separated by an eight-day break because of a COVID pause.
Dubnyk is 15-19-3 in 38 career starts against St. Louis. The Blues were a division foe and a regular opponent for Dubnyk during his six seasons with Minnesota.
