[NHL] Colorado Avalanche Clinches First Place in Western Central League

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Colorado Avalanche Defeats San Jose Sharks 6-2, Cale Makar Out with Minor Back Injury

 

 

(Denver = Wongeol Jeong) The Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks played an NHL regular season game.

 

The game, which was held at Ball Arena, the home arena of Colorado, on December 17, local time, saw Colorado come out strong against San Jose from the start.

 

The game was physical. San Jose defenseman Jacob Macdonald injured Colorado defenseman Sam Malinski by pushing him into the boards. Macdonald was ejected as a result of the collision.

 

Colorado scored the first goal.

 

Colorado right wing Valeri Nichushkin tipped in a pass from Nathan Mackinnon for the goal.

 

In the middle of the first period, there was another collision between Colorado and San Jose players.

 

Colorado’s Kurtis MacDermid and San Jose’s Mario Ferraro collided violently, resulting in a two-minute penalty for each player.

 

Colorado continued to pepper San Jose’s net.

 

With the first period winding down, Mikko Rantanen slid a pass from Nathan Mackinnon past the San Jose goaltender for a 2-0 lead.

 

With just over a minute left in the first period, Colorado left wing Miles Wood made his presence felt.

 

Wood used a dazzling deke to get past the San Jose goaltender before firing a shot into the net.

 

Wood’s goal gave Colorado a 3-0 lead.

 

Colorado also scored the first goal of the second period.

 

Nathan Mackinnon fired a shot from the left side of the San Jose net, and the puck bounced off the post and into the net for a quick 4-0 lead.

 

San Jose got one goal back in the middle of the second period.

 

Thomas Hertl fired a long-range shot from the front of the Colorado net, and it deflected off a Colorado defenseman’s stick and into the Colorado net.

 

The score was now 4-1.

 

The game continued to be physical.

 

Colorado’s Andrew Cogliano was unable to get up off the ice for several moments after a collision with an opposing player. It was a scary moment.

 

Colorado also scored a goal in the third period.

 

Ryan Johansen put home a rebound after a shot by Caleb Jones for a 5-1 lead. Johansen’s goal seemed to all but seal the win for Colorado.

 

San Jose mounted a comeback in the closing minutes.

 

Shortly after Johansen’s goal, Thomas Hertl poked in a loose puck in front of the Colorado net for a 5-2 score.

 

Nathan Mackinnon’s goal-scoring instincts were not to be denied.

 

With the San Jose net empty, Mackinnon fired a shot from near the half-wall for a 6-2 final.

 

Nathan Mackinnon’s skating and stickhandling were on display throughout the game.

 

Mackinnon finished with two goals and two assists to be the unsung hero of the victory.