3 Takeaways From Avalanche’s 4-2 Win Over the Flames – The Hockey Writers Colorado Avalanche Latest News, Analysis & More

The Colorado Avalanche began their West Coast road trip on a sour note, putting up a dud in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Thankfully, they had a chance to right the ship on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames, setting the tone for the remaining three games of the road trip.

It took some time, but the Avalanche got it going. They poured it on with three in the second period, ultimately walking away with a 4-2 win. Let’s get into the takeaways from this Avalanche win and what it could mean for this road trip and beyond.

Give It Up for the New Guy

Since coming over in the biggest trade of the decade, Martin Necas has had an up-and-down tenure with the Avalanche. Sure, coming into the game against the Flames, he had five points in six games, but three of those were scoreless efforts.

However, this game against the Flames felt like his arrival in Denver. If the Avalanche are going to reach the Stanley Cup Final, they are going to need more efforts like this out of Necas. He assisted on Artturi Lehkonen’s 22^nd of the season and then sent the Avalanche into the locker room with a two-goal lead after scoring on the power play. For good measure, he added a second in the third period to seal the game.

Necas is looking more and more comfortable on his new line and the Avalanche could definitely use the boost in production. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for both he and the Avalanche, both for the sake of the road trip and the season as a whole.

MacKinnon Chasing History

Nathan MacKinnon continues to be absolutely absurd in terms of his production. Coming into the game, he sat one point behind Leon Draisaitl from the Edmonton Oilers for the league lead in points. Heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off, MacKinnon snatched the lead back.

Related: 4 Avalanche Players Set to Star at 4 Nations Face Off

MacKinnon assisted on the first three Avalanche goals on the night, bringing his total up to 63. He is eight assists up on Mitch Marner and could seriously be threatening to join the 100-assist club. He’s on pace for 92 at the moment but has been known to collect assists in bunches (as seen against the Flames).

The reigning NHL MVP, MacKinnon is in familiar territory once again. Given the struggles – and subsequent trade talk – surrounding Casey Mittelstadt, the trade of his running mate Mikko Rantanen, and the struggles the Avalanche have faced with injuries, this could be MacKinnon’s most compelling case for MVP yet.

Dominant Second Period

The catalyst for Thursday night’s win in Calgary was the second-period effort. Cale Makar got the ball rolling early in the period, ripping a shot from just above the right circle to knot things up. He’s already got 20 goals on the season and could threaten the 28 he scored during the 2021-22 season.

Lehkonen got in on the action a few minutes later and Necas closed out the period with his 18^th to give the Avalanche the 3-1 lead. Even more impressive than the goal scoring is the fact that the Avalanche outshot the Flames 17-4, consistently applying pressure over the course of the period.

It just goes to show that the Avalanche are capable of pouring it on in short order. Despite the up-and-down nature of their play this season, there are few teams as deep or as dangerous as the Avalanche when they are clicking.

Showdown in Edmonton

It might be hyperbole to say this, but Friday night’s showdown with the Edmonton Oilers could make or break the road trip. The Avalanche are 1-1-0 so far, with games against the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues to finish out the trip.

The Avalanche are just three points back of the Dallas Stars for second in the division; the Winnipeg Jets are the hottest team in the league and have built a 10-point lead for the division. The remainder of this road trip could set the tone for the rest of the month and dictate where the Avalanche finish in playoff seeding.