VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It was a wild, wild game to begin a three-game western Canadian road trip for the Avalanche.
All-star center Nathan MacKinnon, in his second game back from a eight-game injury absence, scored Colorado’s fifth power-play goal of the game in overtime for a 5-4 come-from-behind victory against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. MacKinnon finished with a four-point game, adding three assists.
The Avs, who trailed 4-1 in a seven-goal second period, forced OT with Tyson Barrie’s power-play goal with 3:01 remaining — the only goal of the third period. Barrie had a hand in every power-play goal for a career-high five points (four assists).
BOX SCORE: Avalanche 5, Canucks 4 OT
Goalie Semyon Varlamov made five of his 24 saves in OT, including two kick-pad stops from the doorstep.
Colorado finished a remarkable 5-of-6 on the power play; and seven of the game’s eight goals in regulation were scored in the second period.
“Our power play was due,” MacKinnon said. “Last game against Edmonton we didn’t do a great job but we had a meeting on what we want to achieve and I think it paid off tonight — big time.”
MacKinnon and both of his linemates scored, and the line combined for nine points. Left wing Gabe Landeksog had a goal and an assist and right winger Mikko Rantanen had three points (goal).
“I think 5-on-5 we were dominant, the three of us,” MacKinnon said. “We established ourselves and we do think we’re one of the best lines in the NHL.”
When MacKinnon was on the injured list for eight games, Landeskog and Rantanen combined for just one goal, and none in the first seven games of that stretch.
Colorado snapped a two-game losing streak, including a slumbering 4-2 loss to Edmonton on Sunday in Denver. Avs coach Jared Bednar wanted to see more urgency from his players, and he finally got that in the second period when his team trailed by three goals.
The Avs climbed to three points within Minnesota for the last Western Conference playoff spot.
“First time in a number of games now that we went out and tried to put the other team under pressure,” Bednar said. “We made some costly mistakes in the second, some individual mistakes that led to grade-A chances. They capitalized on their chances. We had to dig out of a hole but the power play came up huge. Those guys (MacKinnon’s line), they were good 5-on-5 and on the power play.
“We were talking about desperation and playing with urgency, right? We had lacked that a little bit in the last handful of games. We were determined to stick with it tonight and we got rewarded. We worked to earn some power plays. I mean, six power plays. We haven’t earned six power plays in the last three or four games combined.”
After a scoreless first period, the teams traded goals to begin the wild second frame. Vancouver scored on its first shift of the period — forward Darren Archibald went to the net and capitalized on soft defensive coverage in front — but Avs rookie forward Tyson Jost answered on the power play at 10:46, when he redirected Barrie’s wrist shot from the point past backup Vancouver goalie Anders Nilsson. Nilsson was making his second consecutive start in place of the ill Jacob Markstrom.
It was Jost’s seventh goal of the season, and fourth in his last eight games.
But then the Canucks scored three times in 2:41 to suddenly jump ahead 4-1. Nikolay Goldobin (wrist shot through traffic), Brandon Sutter (wrist shot left circle) and Bo Horvat (one-timer between circles) beat Varlamov and the Avalanche seemed out of it.
Vancouver, however, took two ensuing penalties and Colorado capitalized with power-play goals by Rantanen and Landeskog at 17:57 and 19:23. Rantanen buried a wrist shot from the right circle and Landeskog had an easy tap-in from the right post. MacKinnon assisted on both goals.
Barrie’s game-tying goal was a wrist shot from the point.
The Avs continue their three-game western Canadian trip Thursday at Edmonton, and it concludes Saturday at Calgary. Colorado then hosts four in a row, beginning with the Canucks on Monday in the last of three meetings between the teams. Vancouver won the first game of the series three weeks ago, 4-3 in overtime at Rogers Arena.
