MacKinnon nets 5 points as Avalanche defeat Canucks 5-4 in overtime
VANCOUVER — Gavin Brindley sealed a 5-4 victory for the Colorado Avalanche just 68 seconds into overtime against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
Vancouver’s Jake DeBrusk forced overtime late in regulation, redirecting Brock Boeser’s power-play pass with 3:01 left in the third period.
Colorado’s offensive surge
Artturi Lehkonen tallied two third-period goals for Colorado, one on the power play. Nathan MacKinnon struck twice in the opening period within a span of 1:28 — also scoring once with the man advantage — and contributed three assists, capping a five-point performance.
Valeri Nichushkin collected two assists, helping the Avalanche improve to a league-leading 10-1-5 record.
Defensive and supporting play
Cale Makar, the NHL’s top-scoring defenseman with 21 points from six goals and 15 assists, added two more assists in the match.
Canucks’ efforts
For Vancouver, Drew O’Connor scored shorthanded, Linus Karlsson dazzled with a stylish between-the-legs goal, and Kiefer Sherwood converted off a turnover for his team-leading 10th tally of the season. The Canucks fell to an even 8-8-1 record.
Goaltending battle
Kevin Lankinen, starting on consecutive nights, made 27 saves for Vancouver. Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 29 shots to secure the win for Colorado.
“Goaltender Thatcher Demko did not dress for the second straight game after missing practice Friday.”
Weekend scheduling
Both teams were coming off Saturday victories — Vancouver defeated the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3, while Colorado routed the Edmonton Oilers 9-1 on the road.
Author’s summary: MacKinnon’s five-point night and Brindley’s overtime heroics drove Colorado past Vancouver in a fast-paced, comeback-filled contest.