Nathan MacKinnon has goal and an assist in Avalanche’s 6-1 victory over Wild

ST. PAUL, MN – Nathan MacKinnon tallied a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season, powering the Colorado Avalanche to a dominant 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

Mikko Rantanen and Logan O’Connor each contributed a goal and an assist, while Ross Colton, Parker Kelly, and Artturi Lehkonen also found the back of the net. Mackenzie Blackwood was solid in net, stopping 24 of 25 shots.

For the Wild, Zach Bogosian scored for the second consecutive game, and Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves on 27 shots.

With the Avalanche holding a 2-1 lead in the second period, MacKinnon made a perfect pass to Rantanen on a 2-on-2 rush, and Rantanen fired a wrist shot past Gustavsson for his 25th goal of the season. In the third period, MacKinnon returned the favor, scoring Colorado’s third goal in a rapid 4:25 stretch, pushing the Avs to a commanding 6-1 lead.

Colorado had their seven-game point streak snapped in a loss to Chicago the night before, but they looked rejuvenated against a Wild team riddled with injuries. Despite Minnesota’s recent strong run, including a 6-0-1 stretch over their previous seven games, missing star Kirill Kaprizov and their top three defensemen proved too much to overcome. The Avalanche controlled the game, limiting the Wild to just 12 shots on goal in the first two periods.

Both teams return to action on Saturday, with Colorado heading to Winnipeg and Minnesota traveling to San Jose.