The second game of this season was one of the weirdest for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs went to San Jose, suffocated the Sharks from start to finish, and still needed a shootout goal to eek by the rebuilding club.
Colorado did not dominate San Jose the same way in the second matchup, but the Avalanche did cruise to a 6-2 win at Ball Arena that featured far less tension about the outcome. Nathan MacKinnon had two goal and two assists while matching the longest point streak of his career at 15 games, and the power play struck twice for only the second time in 17 games.
“I feel very clear,” MacKinnon said. “The game feels slow, which is always a good feeling. I’m doing a lot of work away from the rink that no one sees and it’s paying off right now.”
The Avs have now won three times in four games after their worst stretch of the season. They also shrugged off a disappointing effort Saturday night in Winnipeg and reclaimed first place in the Central Division.
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All three members of Colorado’s top line scored in the opening 24 minutes as the Avs built a 4-0 lead. Valeri Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen both scored on the man advantage in the opening 12:15, giving the Avalanche two goals on its first eight shots against Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Colorado peppered Blackwood with 52 shots back in October, but needed a late goal to get to overtime before winning 2-1 in a shootout.
Miles Wood scored late in the first period and then MacKinnon followed early in the second to give the Avs a comfortable 4-0 lead. San Jose began the season with 11 straight losses, but had won six of 10 coming into this one to climb out of last place in the NHL standings. The Sharks also erased four-goal leads in back-to-back contests earlier this month.
“This was about the way we wanted to play and I thought we accomplished everything we wanted to in the first period,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We tried to simplify on our (zone) exits and then we wanted to have a linear, fast attack. I thought we did that in the first period.”
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, front, dives on the ice to stop the puck and collides with San Jose Sharks left wing Fabian Zetterlund in the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Avalanche didn’t exactly kill this game off after going up by four goals, but the lead was never truly in doubt. Ryan Johansen snapped a nine-game goalless streak with a rebound tally in the third to provide a little extra cushion, and then MacKinnon added his second into an empty net.
MacKinnon moved into second place in the NHL scoring race with another big night. He’s up to 47 points, five behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the league lead. He also has eight goals and 27 points during the 15-game streak.
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The star center only had nine points in his first 10 games, which is not a “slump” for 99 percent of the players in the NHL. He had 14 shots on goal in one of those games: at SAP Center against the Sharks.
Alexandar Georgiev didn’t have a lot of work at times but shook off getting pulled from his last start with 26 saves. Georgiev had allowed at least three goals in four of his past five starts. Ivan Prosvetov had started three of the past four contests, while also winning in relief of Georgiev in the fourth.
“I thought he was fantastic. I thought he was great,” Bednar said. “We got sloppy for a couple times for five-minute stretches — not often — but they created some really good looks and some difficult saves and I thought he was really sharp.
FOOTNOTES: Cale Makar missed a second straight game with a nagging lower-body injury. Bednar said the club doesn’t want the injury to get worse, but he will travel with the team to Chicago for its next game.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski, right, is helped off the ice by head trainer Matthew Sokolowski after Malinski was injured when he was boarded by San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob MacDonald in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Dogs like Bailey — the former Dog of the Week in The Denver Post’s Adventurist newsletter — will be in good company at the first Denver Dog Fair this weekend. (Provided by Barbara Ellis)
Denver Dog Fair
Saturday-Sunday. Woof! If the last few weeks have left you panting, why not surround yourself with unconditional love? The first Denver Dog Fair takes place on Nov. 22 and 23 with the promise of unending poochie goodness. There will be dog adoption booths, “celebrity” dogs, performances and tricks, a dog-fashion show, vendors, a dozen food trucks, kids’ bounce house, crafting, and more.
It takes place indoors at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave. in Aurora, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Tickets: $20, good for both days; 5 and under free. $5 per dog. Price includes all entertainment and activities (minus adoption fees and food/drink). denverdogfair.com
Christkindlmarket and the Mile High Tree
Friday. The annual Mile High Tree at Civic Center park has quickly become a modern classic in Denver, with its 110-foot-tall display of 60,000, color-changing LED lights. Its location next to the annual Christkindlmarket and across from the brightly decorated Denver City & County Building makes it a one-stop shop for free family holiday fun.
At the 24th Christkindlmarket you’ll find local vendors plus Glühwein (mulled spiced wine), German biers and hot chocolate, Bavarian-style pretzels, fresh smoked salmon, Knödel, goulash, Nürnberger sausages, pastries, caramels and European chocolates. The tree’s light-and-music shows run from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly.
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The market and tree both open on Friday, Nov. 22, with the market running through Dec. 23. The market is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. denver.org/milehighholidays/mile-high-tree or christkindlmarketdenver.com
Charlie Fausette, 6, from Tampa, Fla., ice skates with her father Rob at Downtown Denver Rink in Denver on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Free ice skating downtown
Through Feb. 2, 2025. Whatever the weather, you can get a bit of holiday fun in by stopping by the popular Downtown Denver Rink. The rink, which basically bisects the 16th Street Mall’s Skyline Park (just outside the Daniels and Fisher Clocktower at 16th and Arapahoe streets), is a public rink where you can rent or bring your own skates.
It’s open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Entry is free; skate rentals are $12 for adults and $9 for kids 12 and under. winterindenver.com/rink
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be ready for photos at the Denver Christmas Show, this year moving to the National Western Complex. (Provided by Michelle Ellis)
A very merry Denver Christmas Show
Friday-Sunday. You don’t have to be in the market for gifts to get something out of the Denver Christmas Show at the National Western Complex. It’s a family-friendly affair, with Santa visits (and photos), daily storytime and hot cocoa with Mrs. Claus, live music, dancing, and more.
Of course, if you want to pick up some candy or chocolate, local gifts, or holiday decor, that will be right there too (with free gift wrapping), as well as plenty of other vendors. Tickets for the Friday, Nov. 22-Sunday, Nov. 24, event are $14 for 14-and-up, and free for 13-and-under. It runs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 4655 Humboldt St. in Denver. denverchristmasshow.com
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Dallas Mavericks (8-7, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (8-5, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 10 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Dallas seeks to keep its three-game win streak alive when the Mavericks take on Denver.
The Nuggets are 4-5 in Western Conference games. Denver is fifth in the league with 46.2 rebounds led by Nikola Jokic averaging 13.7.
The Mavericks have gone 6-6 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 17.2 fast break points per game led by Luka Doncic averaging 4.6.
The Nuggets make 46.8% of their shots from the field this season, which is 2.1 percentage points higher than the Mavericks have allowed to their opponents (44.7%). The Mavericks average 115.6 points per game, 0.5 more than the 115.1 the Nuggets give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is shooting 47.9% and averaging 18.3 points for the Nuggets.
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Kyrie Irving is averaging 24.3 points and 5.2 assists for the Mavericks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 119.7 points, 45.4 rebounds, 30.7 assists, 9.0 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points per game.
Mavericks: 5-5, averaging 118.0 points, 44.3 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.2 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Nikola Jokic: day to day (personal).
Mavericks: Dante Exum: out (wrist).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Pop music icon Billie Eilish had a very important request before performing a sold-out show at Denver’s Ball Arena on Tuesday night: She wanted to snuggle with some animals.
Two Front Range shelters were more than happy to bring some furry friends for a backstage meet-and-greet with Eilish and her team, Brighter Days Dog Rescue founder and director Becca Orin said.
Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary first got the request through the venue, and the Commerce City sanctuary teamed up with Brighter Days in Boulder to bring puppies, kittens and a pony to the arena.
Billie Eilish snuggles with a puppy and pony from Brighter Days Dog Rescue and Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary before performing at Ball Arena in Denver on Nov. 19, 2024. (Courtesy of Becca Orin)
Eilish, her mom and team were “amazing,” Orin said, and showered the animals with love – particularly Samson the pony, who was overjoyed by all of the attention and cookies.
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Brighter Days shared photos of the visit in a post on Facebook, with Eilish grinning cheek-to-cheek with a puppy and getting a nuzzle from Samson.
“This is not the first time we have brought animals to Ball Arena for the artists ahead of their performance, but this was the first time the artist was kind enough and generous enough to let us take pictures and give us permission to post them on social media,” Orin said.
Eilish is set to perform a second sold-out show at Ball Arena on Wednesday night as part of her Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour.
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