The Avalanche kept the foot on the pedal in the second leg of the NHL Global Series on Saturday, routing the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.
Colorado used a three-goal outburst in the second period to pull ahead and never looked back. It was the first time in nine games that the game wasn’t decided in the third period or overtime.
Nathan MacKinnon continued to pour on the points, adding three assists following a four-point effort in the first leg. Top winger Mikko Rantanen had an assist, fellow Finnish forward Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and superstar defenseman Cale Makar pitched in with three assists.
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The depth also stepped up for the second day in a row. Alex Newhook, Logan O’Connor and Martin Kaut all scored. Kaut also added an assist for the first multi-point performance of his NHL career. Defenseman Devon Toews also had his first of the season.
In goal, the Avalanche — somewhat surprisingly — went back to goalie Alexandar Georgiev on consecutive nights. Georgiev responded well, making 31 saves to improve to 6-1-1 on the season.
The netminder has a .925 save percentage.
The Avs are 6-4-1 following a successful two games in Finland and will look to build on their performance next week. They start a three-game homestand on Thursday against the Nashville Predators.