Denver— It was all Colorado Wednesday night. Valeri Nichushkin netted two power-play goals. while Nathan MacKinnon extended his season-opening home points streak to 23 games, as the Colorado Avalanche(27-12-3) secured a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights(23-13-5).

MacKinnon is the 4th player in history to achieve that streak.

Alexandar Georgiev was a stone wall in his second shutout of the season with 25 saves. Logan O’Connor contributed a third-period goal, and Mikko Rantanen notched two assists, propelling the Avalanche to their sixth win in seven games.

Colorado dictated the pace, a notable shift from their previous encounter with Vegas on Nov. 4, where they suffered a 7-0 loss. In that game, Georgiev faced challenges, conceding all seven goals on 34 shots.

The Golden Knights have lost 7 of their last 9 games in a tough skid.

Vegas had to adjust its goaltending strategy after Adin Hill, initially expected to start following a lower-body injury, was ruled unavailable. Jiri Patera took over, making 32 saves. Additionally, Isaiah Saville was called up from Henderson in the American Hockey League to serve as the backup, while Logan Thompson remained sidelined with an illness.

“To see (Patera) have the game he did and for us to give him that performance was upsetting,” Vegas forward Chandler Stevenson said. “He played great.”

Georgiev was solid all night, only one puck got past him and it went off the post, and not in the goal.

Perfect game, for me,” Bednar said. “You’re never going to go through the game with zero scoring chances against. Against good teams, they’re going to have a couple of grade-A chances.”

MacKinnon earned an assist on Nichushkin’s second goal, placing him in the company of elite players with a home points streak of at least 23 games to start a season. This list features hockey legends like Wayne Gretzky (40 consecutive home games with the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89 and 23 with Edmonton in 1983-84), Bobby Orr (25 with Boston in 1974-75), and Phil Esposito (23 with Boston in 1973-74), as per NHL Stats.

Vegas forward Michael Amadio was a last-minute absence due to illness, and the team revealed that William Carrier underwent surgery for an upper-body injury, with his recovery expected to take weeks.

Up next, the Golden Knights host the Bruins tonight. And the Avalanche start a 5-game and road trip in Toronto on Saturday.

For the latest NHL and Vegas Golden Knights news follow @vinquezada1 on X.

By: Vincent Quezada

Photo Credit: AP/ David Zalubowski

#NHL #VegasBorn #GoAvsGo

***Have you tried Dubby?? Are you looking for a Pre-Workout??
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!****