Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche rout the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night.

The Wild held two separate leads before falling to Connor McDavid and the Oilers, losing Marcus Johansson along the way.

Minnesota was without its top three defensemen against high-flying Colorado, and Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin were sorely missed.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche rout the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night. Mikko Rantanan and ...

ST PAUL, Minn. — Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche rout the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night. Mikko Rantanan and Logan O’Connor also each had a goal and an assist, Ross Colton, Parker Kelly and Artturi Lehkonen also scored, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves.

The Colorado Avalanche came into Thursday night with a primetime matchup that everyone wanted to see. The Edmonton Oilers have all the star power in the world and are seeking to win their first Stanley Cup in the Connor McDavid era.

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in an NHL Western Conference clash at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday (Jan. 16) night. Viktor Arvidsson, Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers.

It doesn’t matter if the Edmonton Oilers are 3-0 down, they’re the best darn team in the world. On Thursday, the Oilers played the second game of a back-to-back, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 after storming back from a serious deficit.

But in a season full of statements, the Oilers issued another one Thursday in Denver, turning a night when they had every excuse to shrug their shoulders and look for a soft spot on the canvas into one of the most impressive comeback wins you’re ever going to witness.

The Oilers erase a multi-goal deficit for the third time in four games to win to clinch their fourth straight victory on Thursday night in a 4-3 comeback win over the Avalanche at Ball Arena

Draisaitl's elite production has led the Oilers to a top-five position in the NHL standings and he is firmly in the mix to take home his second Hart Trophy. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Draisaitl has the third-best odds to win the award at +320. Only Nathan MacKinnon at +280 and his Oilers teammate Connor McDavid at +300 have shorter odds.

There have been a lot of Edmonton Oilers games over the years in which they’ve trailed 3-0 in the first period — 102, to be exact. Those games have rarely gone well for the team in the past, and understandably so.