DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Saturday night.
Logan O’Connor and Valeri Nichushkin also scored to help the Avalanche win for the 10th time in their last 12 games. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 26 shots.
Colorado pulled into a tie with Dallas for second place in the Central Division, one point behind first-place Minnesota.
Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski scored for the Stars, and Jason Robertson had two assists. Jake Oettinger finished with 27 saves.
MacKinnon scored the first goal of the night, with 11:06 remaining in the first period, and his power-play goal with 12 seconds remaining in the second period pushed his team’s advantage back to two. Colorado has scored at least one power-play goal in 13 of its past 14 games.
MacKinnon now has 34 goals, increasing his team-leading point total to 97. It was the star center’s 32nd multi-point game of the season, giving him the most of any Avalanche player since Joe Sakic in 2000-01.
Wyatt Johnston appeared to trim the Avalanche lead to 3-2 with 10:51 remaining in the third period, but his goal was overturned for goaltender interference after a challenge from Colorado coach Jared Bednar.
Rantanen’s goal, an empty-netter, was his 49th of the season, the third-most of all NHL players.
NOTES: Colorado recalled C Ben Meyers from its AHL affiliate. Meyers has one goal in 33 games with the Avalanche this season. … Colorado D Jack Johnson appeared in his 1,100th career game, becoming the 14th U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history to reach that mark. … Dallas loaned G Scott Wedgewood to the franchise’s AHL affiliate on a conditioning assignment.
UP NEXT
Stars: Host Nashville on Monday night.
Avalanche: At San Jose on Tuesday night.