The Colorado Avalanche secured a dominant 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, marking their ninth consecutive win. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including his milestone 400th career goal, while Valeri Nichushkin netted his second NHL hat trick. MacKinnon now stands as the third player in franchise history to hit 400 goals, and notably, the first to achieve all of them with the Avalanche. Joe Sakic leads with 625 goals—though 233 were scored before the franchise relocated from Quebec—and Michel Goulet holds second place with 456 points, all scored in Quebec.
MacKinnon, who also contributed two assists, is currently the NHL leader with 34 goals and shares the league’s highest points total at 70 with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Nichushkin scored twice during a rapid four-goal burst within the first 4 minutes and 39 seconds and finished the game with three goals. Brock Nelson added a power-play goal for Colorado, while goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 12 saves.
The Avalanche have been exceptional at home this season, extending their winning streak there to 15 games (17-0-2), with only two regulation losses (30-2-7). Their 69 points after 39 games tie the Boston Bruins’ record from the 1929-30 season. On the Blues’ side, Jordan Binnington conceded four goals on his first eight shots but ended with 37 saves. Dalibor Dvorsky scored St. Louis’s lone goal, as the team struggled with just 13 shots on goal—a season low.
Nichushkin opened the scoring within the first minute, quickly followed by MacKinnon’s goal at 3:13. Nichushkin scored again just 13 seconds later, and MacKinnon completed the early scoring spree with a slap shot 1 minute and 13 seconds afterwards. This four-goal surge was the fastest in Avalanche history and the third-fastest in NHL history.
Nelson, marking his 300th career assist on Nichushkin’s first goal, scored again midway through the game. Nichushkin then added his third goal 1 minute and 34 seconds after Dvorsky’s reply, securing Blackwood’s sixth shutout win for the season.
Looking ahead, the Blues will host the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, while the Avalanche return home to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Fan Take: This game highlights the unstoppable offensive power of the Avalanche and MacKinnon’s rising legacy, which is thrilling for hockey fans eager to witness the sport’s evolving stars. Their record-breaking consistency could signal a new era of dominance that may redefine competition in the NHL for years to come.
