Of course, it was conditional. The San Jose Sharks needed to beat the Minnesota Wild, and the St. Louis Blues needed to fall to the Calgary Flames.

Though neither game produced the outcome the Avalanche needed, Colorado looked to be locking into a playoff mindset.

In the last meeting between the two teams, the Avalanche fell to the Rangers in overtime. Knowing the game would be equal from start to finish, the home team would have to be firing on all cylinders.

Nathan MacKinnon’s streak of 35 home games with at least one point ended after they suffered a 3–2 outcome in a shootout, despite their efforts.

The good

The overwhelming impression is how well the Avalanche performed perfectly under pressure. Despite being worked every second of the game, the team did not waver in their determination and grit.

Even though they had trouble holding onto a lead and didn’t get on the board until Casey Mittelstadt netted a goal in the second period, the desire and drive to walk away with a victory was prevalent.

Another look at Mittsy’s goal #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/xn2RfL5rNp

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 29, 2024

The constant pressure would be to the team’s benefit during the third period. The Rangers netted their second goal in the middle of the last frame, only for Devon Toews to equalize the game and send the game to overtime three minutes later.

All tied up!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/iOD4SMwNyi

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 29, 2024

The Avalanche’s specialty was putting everything possible on the net. With 40 shots on the net, Igor Shesterkin saved all but two. The most important aspect from now on is the ability to attack any opponent from an offensive angle.

The bad

There isn’t much that went wrong in this game. The Rangers sat at the top of the league and continue to hold the position.

The biggest issue was the difficulty the Avalanche had to get offensive momentum going. Shesterkin wasn’t willing to let anything through, so breaking the ice and getting something moving was no simple task.

To make matters more difficult, Valeri Nichushkin, who is out with a lower-body injury, was missing from the team. His impact on the ice is one of Colorado’s greatest assets, and his absence had an immediately noticeable impact.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different level of play, and the Avalanche have to be ready to make something out of nothing.

Takeaways

Colorado will have another shot at clinching playoffs on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The last meeting also resulted in a 5–1 loss to their division rival back on March 2nd.

Every single game matters, and not just from a points perspective. These last few regular season games are a less risky warmup for postseason. Considering the current trajectory, it seems like the Avalanche are getting into playoff shape and are prepared to make a run for the Stanley Cup.

The post MacKinnon point streak thwarted in shootout loss appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The first period started with newcomer Zach Parise, securing his first two shots on goal in his first shift. Tonight, the 39-year-old forward made his debut for the Avalanche, after being added to their roster on January 26th.

After both teams served penalties, Nathan MacKinnon was able to get the Avalanche on the board first. He keeps his point streak alive and is two games away from passing Paul Stastny on the Avalanche leaderboard for the longest point streak in a season.

Nathan MacKinnon's 85th point of the season is the most by an Avalanche/Nordiques player through their first 50 games played in a campaign. #NHLStats: https://t.co/5KwVUVpmOa pic.twitter.com/StoYxm23Pu

— NHL (@NHL) February 6, 2024

Cale Makar, who has 47 assists on the season and Josh Manson, who has 12 assisted MacKinnon on his goal. Makar himself is two points away from becoming the No.1 defenseman in franchise history to gain the most points.

Second period

Despite a slow second period, the Avalanche fired 10 shots at goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick came into the night with 385 career wins, 20 of them being over the Avalanche.

Both goaltenders played a tight game as Alexandar Georgiev stopped six shots against his former team in the second.

Third period

The third period also started slowly, and the puck lasted 8:20 minutes on the ice without stoppage. Shortly after the first stoppage of the frame, Artemi Panarin let one go by Georgiev to tie the game.

K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider assisted Panarin in acquiring his 31st goal of the season.

The Avalanche finished the third frame in favor with their 30 shots on goal compared to the Rangers’ 25.

Overtime

The Avalanche entered overtime with a 4–3 record on the season. 1:53 into what would be the last frame of the night, Alexis Lafrenière, picked up his 13th goal of the season. Mika Zibanejad, who picked up his 32nd assist of the season, assisted him.

ABSOLUTELY CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/10bGPd5VVj

— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 6, 2024

Colorado concluded the night with one point and Georgiev finished with 27 saves and the third star of the night.

Takeaways

The Avalanche won’t sit with this loss for long as they look to play the New Jersey Devils tomorrow. The team will be joined on the road by Sam Malinski and Justus Annunen, who were recalled from the Colorado Eagles.

The post Avalanche fall short to Rangers in overtime appeared first on The Rink.