Artturi Lehkonen posted his first career hat trick and Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on Friday in Salt Lake City.
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, on the day the Avalanche announced he signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension, made 34 saves to record his fourth win five starts since being traded to Colorado.
Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Avalanche, who have won four consecutive games and eight of 10 outings.
Nick Schmaltz logged the lone goal for Utah, which is winless in three outings (0-2-1) and fell to 5-7-4 at home this season. Goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 33 shots.
With overtime potentially looming, Lehkonen notched his second of the night to break a 1-1 tie with 5:16 remaining in regulation. Valeri Nichushkin’s shot was stopped, but Lehkonen was on the spot to bury the rebound to put his team ahead for good.
With his assist, Nichushkin increased his point-scoring streak to five games, in which he has collected four goals and two assists.
Rantanen registered an empty-net goal, his 20th tally of the season, to make it a 3-1 game with 1:50 remaining. Rantanen is now riding a season-best 10-game point streak in which he has amassed five goals and 13 assists.
Lehkonen rounded out the scoring with another empty-netter in the final minute, his 13th goal of the season.
Although the final score was a three-goal difference, the Avalanche actually surrendered a third-period lead.
Lehkonen opened the scoring at 11:52 of the second. Sam Malinski carried the puck deep into the offensive zone before sliding a pass back to MacKinnon at the top of the right circle. MacKinnon weaved to the faceoff dot before sending the puck to Lehkonen in the slot, and he immediately converted.
Schmaltz’s power-play goal evened the score 1-1 at 3:42 of the third period. Schmaltz was parked in front of the net and perfectly tipped Mikhail Sergachev’s point shot.
The clash had its share of heated moments, especially late in the second period, a stretch in which MacKinnon and Barrett Hayton dropped the gloves in a rare — for them — fight.
