Giving up four goals in fewer than five minutes is not a recipe for success on most nights in the NHL.
This wasn’t most nights for the Colorado Avalanche.
Powered by a Victor Olofsson hat trick and two goals from Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche prevailed, 8-4, against the New Jersey Devils on a night filled with firewagon hockey at Ball Arena. Colorado’s struggling power play busted out in a big way, scoring four times after only having that many in the first 10 games of the season.
Cale Makar assisted on each of the four extra-man strikes, and the Avs ended a four-game losing streak. It was Olofsson’s first career hat trick. He also had his first career five-point game.
The two teams combined for 71 shots on goal. Scott Wedgwood had a strong night outside the chaotic stretch when Colorado nearly blew a 5-0 advantage, finishing with 26 saves.
The second period featured eight goals, including four straight by the visitors at one point. Colorado started fast for the second straight period.
Olofsson collected his first goal with the Avalanche when he snapped a wrist shot into the far corner during a rush down the right wing at 2:31. That made it 3-0.
A few minutes later, this one looked like a laugher. MacKinnon scored on a one-timer during a 5-on-3 at 7:11 to make it 4-0. Then Parker Kelly got behind the New Jersey defense and tucked a backhanded shot past Jacob Markstrom at 8:39.
Colorado was rolling … and then it wasn’t. New Jersey scored four times in a 4:04 span, and the party at Ball Arena got pretty quiet in a hurry. There was a Brent Burns giveaway that led to a Stefan Noesen goal. Then Dougie Hamilton made a nifty play to bat a rebound out of mid-air to himself 1:40 later. Then Dawson Mercer scored on a give-and-go with Nico Hischier 54 seconds after that.
When Jack Hughes finished off a 4-on-2 rush with a one-timer, it was a 5-4 game and there was still 6:12 left in the second period. The Devils could not stay out of the penalty box, and that was their undoing.
MacKinnon scored his second of the night from almost the same spot, but this one was a 5-on-4 goal, and it was a howitzer just under the crossbar.
Olofsson had been playing well, including 26 shots on goal in his first 10 games with Colorado. This night was the breakthrough. He added his second of the night just 3:10 into the third period after a feed from MacKinnon, and the Avs had matched their output with the extra man from the start of the season.
The Avs led 2-0 after the first period. It wasn’t a great 20 minutes for the home side, but two goals on the first four shots forged an early advantage. Markstrom made his first start for the Devils in net since Oct. 13, and it did not start well for him.
Markstrom put the puck into the crowd 18 seconds in, and the Avs took advantage with the first power-play goal of the night at 1:24. It was a crisp-looking power play with multiple chances created before a quick passing sequence led to Martin Necas blasting a one-timer past Markstrom.
Zakhar Bardakov, traded to Colorado by New Jersey for Kurtis MacDermid on March 1, 2024, scored his first NHL goal against the club that drafted him. There was a scrum in front of the Avs net, but they transitioned the other way quickly and Parker Kelly fed Bardakov on the ensuing rush. Gavin Brindley, who made a nice play to get it started, also collected his first NHL assist.
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