The Colorado Avalanche delivered their most thrilling performance of the season, rallying in the third period to tie the game against the Vegas Golden Knights before securing their first shootout win, with Sam Malinski and Nathan MacKinnon each posting three-point nights.
Down two goals in the third period, the Avalanche clawed their way back to extend their winning streak to seven games, with Sam Malinski turning in his best performance of the season while driving play for Colorado.
"Sam Malinski had the first three-point night of his NHL career, and he did it with style. All three of his assists were primary. He felt like the team's main puck-moving defenseman in this game and was a force in the defensive zone as well. Here's the craziest stat of the game: In 17:48 of ice time for Malinski at five-on-five, the Avalanche had 15 shots on goal and zero against. They literally did not give up a shot with Malinski on the ice. They had 36 shot attempts for and six against." -Deen
Another major storyline of the game, and the season, has been the Avalanche's struggles to close out contests in overtime or shootouts. They've surrendered plenty of points after regulation this year, but this time they refused to be denied.
Even in overtime, Colorado looked dangerous throughout the full five minutes, a sharp contrast to earlier in the season when they often appeared unsure and out of sync.
"I'm not sure why the Avs looked so lost in overtime early in the season, but they've really figured it out lately. Which is a good sign, at least when it comes to compiling extra points in the regular season, in case the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild make a push for the top seed (which seems pretty unlikely right now)." -Deen
The Avalanche have two games remaining in 2025 and will aim to carry their dominant form into the new year. As the season progresses, the lineup continues to look deeper and more complete, a development that signals serious trouble for the rest of the league.