The Avs came to PPG Paints Arena and while it looked far from a masterpiece at times, routed the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 6-2 victory.

Martin Necas scored twice, Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves and both special teams units made an impact in the club’s third straight victory. This same Penguins team walloped the Avs, 7-2, at Ball Arena last week.

“There were plenty of games we played this season that we played better than tonight,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “I think the first period, we were opportunistic. We created some chances, and we were able to put them in the back of the net.

“By no stretch was that our best game, especially offensively. I thought we checked hard. I thought we worked hard. Thought the details were there on the defensive side of things, but offensively the juice just wasn’t quite there. And that’s OK — you’ve got to find a way to win like that too.”

Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring with his league-leading 46th goal of the season. He took the puck off Parker Wotherspoon near the blue line in his own end, then went by the Pittsburgh defenseman and snapped one just under the crossbar on the partial breakaway.

Pittsburgh answered with an Egor Chinakhov goal at 8:09 of the first. Former Avs defenseman Samuel Girard set him up. Girard wasn’t able to play when these teams met last week because of an injury, but that was his second point with Pittsburgh since the trade late last month that sent him here with a second-round pick for Brett Kulak.

At the midpoint of the first period, the Avs looked second-best, one great play from MacKinnon aside. Then, the puck started going in.

Sam Malinski’s first shot was blockered away by Arturs Silvos, but when the puck came back to the Colorado defenseman later in the shift he didn’t miss. His wrist shot through traffic made it a 2-1 game at 15:24.

Necas scored his first of the night on the power play 80 seconds later. Josh Manson drew a tripping penalty behind the Colorado net, and five seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Necas blew a one-timer from Cale Makar past Silvos to extend the lead.

Parker Kelly capped the flurry 35 seconds later. Logan O’Connor, making his season debut after multiple ailments caused him to miss the first 69 games, corralled the puck behind the Pittsburgh net and snapped a pass to Kelly for a goal in front at 17:19.

It was far from the Avalanche’s best period of the season, but it was also 4-1 at the first intermission.

“(Wedgewood) was outstanding,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Sloppy game for us. We capitalized and made some nice places to score some goals, but we also beat the puck up quite a bit and had some turnovers. When we did that, (Wedgewood) made some huge saves. It was just that simple.”

Necas added the lone goal that counted in the middle period. He was in the right place to bang home the rebound of a Devon Toews shot from the top of the offensive zone with 2:31 left in a period where the visitors didn’t create a lot of offensive looks.

That is now 34 goals and 88 points this season for Necas. Both are already career-best marks, but his hot streak since the Olympic break has given him a real chance to reach 40 goals and 100 points. He leads the NHL with 12 goals and is second with 26 points since the hiatus.

Pittsburgh thought it had made the score 4-2 at 7:38 of the second, but the Avs challenged for goaltender inference and got a Justin Brazeau tally overturned. Brazeau made contact with Wedgewood at the edge of the crease at about the same time Ryan Shea took the initial shot. Then Brazeau made further contact with Wedgewood as he went to get the rebound.

Shortly after that, the Avs had to kill off Nazem Kadri’s double-minor for high-sticking. Colorado erased both ends of the penalty and created multiple shorthanded odd-man rushes. The Avs also had to kill off 63 seconds of a 5-on-3 in the third period, and Wedgewood made a few great saves to do so.

The Avs’ penalty kill struggled right after the Olympic break, but the PK is now 18 of 20 (90.0%) in the past seven games.

Ross Colton, who like O’Connor returned from an injury absence in this contest, scored into an empty net with 3:40 remaining for his ninth of the season.

“We’ll take it,” Bednar said. “It certainly wasn’t the game or performance that we were, but it was certainly the result we were looking for.”

Samuel Girard returned to Denver for the first time since the Colorado Avalanche traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brett Kulak three weeks ago. Several Avs players went over to chat with their former teammate, who won’t play Monday night because he is day-to-day with an injury.

“I didn’t get to talk to him much, but I just went over to give him a hug,” Avs defenseman Sam Malinski said. “Just a fun guy to play with and a great guy to have in the locker room. Just nothing but respect for him.”

It was a surprising trade, given Girard’s tenure in Colorado. He arrived in a blockbuster trade from the Nashville Predators in Nov. 2017. The deal also included a draft pick that eventually became Bowen Byram, and those two helped Cale Makar reshape the Avalanche defense corps and deliver a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.

Girard has played 583 of his 595 career regular-season games with the Avs, and all of his 67 playoff contests. He was a beloved teammate in the dressing room. Kulak has been an excellent fit for Colorado. Malinski’s breakout season is part of why the Avs were willing to move Girard for a more defensive-minded player, but that doesn’t diminish the impact “La Tornade” had here.

“He creates a lot of space in the o-zone. Everybody knows the spin-o-rama he does,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “I think people maybe underestimate his ability to break the puck out. For his size and length of his stick, he still gets body position on a lot of guys, makes little plays to touch pucks and win puck battles, more than maybe I think people realize.

“It will be different (Monday night). He was a core part of this group for a long, long time. … Hopefully he gets healthy.”

Girard played seven games for the Penguins after the trade. He blocked four shots in his first contest and has averaged 18:25 of ice time per game. He’s also missed the past three games with an injury.

He was on the ice for Pittsburgh’s morning skate, but isn’t ready to return against his former club.

“It’s a great addition for us,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. “We all know what he’s capable to do on the ice, but as a person, he’s a great guy.

“Obviously, it’s a quick turnaround. I try to help him out, as a fellow Frenchman, with different things in Pittsburgh to make him feel at home.”

Another ex-Avs defenseman will be in the lineup for the surprising Penguins, who were not expected to be a playoff contender this season but come to Denver in second place in the Metropolitan Division. Ilya Solovyov’s time with the Avs was significantly shorter than Girard’s.

Solovyov came to the Avs at the end of training camp, when the club claimed him Oct. 3 off waivers from the Calgary Flames. He played 16 games for Colorado, spending most of his time here as the No. 7 defenseman.

He scored his first NHL goal with the Avs on Jan. 10, but then was traded to the Penguins just 10 days later for Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round pick.

Solovyov has four points in nine games for the Penguins. He’s playing nearly two minutes per night more with Pittsburgh. The two ex-Avs had a really strong game when paired together against the Boston Bruins earlier this month, but that was the last game Girard played.

“It’s nice to have (Girard) here,” Solovyov said. “He’s a good player, a good guy. We already played one game together, before he got injured. We played like maybe seven games together (with Colorado), and we had fun as well.

“It’s probably harder for him, because he knew those guys for like (eight) years, but I think he’s doing well. He has managed it pretty well.”

The appetite to make a big trade before the deadline was there for Minnesota GM Bill Guerin and Carolina GM Eric Tulsky, but the market — either players available or prices asked — made it prohibitive. That was a big development for the NHL’s pacesetter, the Colorado Avalanche, on its own. Other clubs chasing the Avs couldn’t find another marquee player to help bridge the gap.

Then Colorado GM Chris MacFarland pulled one of those big moves just before the buzzer, anyway. Colorado has been the team to beat for much of this season.

Are the Avs still in the pole position after the deadline passed?

“Absolutely, 100 percent,” TSN analyst Craig Button said. “The Minnesota Wild are playing catch-up. The Dallas Stars are playing catch-up. When they think they are catching up, it’s like the coyote and the roadrunner. The coyote thinks he’s getting closer, and close is still pretty far away.”

Let’s take a look at where the Western Conference stands after a relatively slow deadline.

NOTE: Records are as of Saturday morning.

1. Colorado Avalanche (42-10-9, 93 points)

IN: Nazem Kadri, Nicolas Roy, Brett Kulak, Nick Blankenburg
OUT: Samuel Girard, Victor Olofsson, Max Curran

Button made those comments above before the Avs stacked Kadri on top of three other sensible additions that all addressed the first-world needs of the league’s top club. There was a blip while two key veterans were out before the Olympic break. Colorado is 5-1 since the restart.

Beep. Beep.

2. Dallas Stars (38-14-10, 86 points)

IN: Michael Bunting, Tyler Myers
OUT: None

The Stars are deep, talented and have no obvious weaknesses. It felt like Jim Nill was going to be able to pull off something big when the club declared Tyler Seguin out for the season and playoffs. Bunting is a good player. Myers is slightly better than one or two of the guys Dallas might need to play in a playoff series. Small upgrades to an already really good team.

The potential fatal flaw? The Stars just aren’t as good, on paper, as the Avalanche. That was probably true each of the past two seasons as well, though, and it didn’t matter.

3. Minnesota Wild (37-16-10, 84 points)

IN: Bobby Brink, Michael McCarron, Nick Foligno, Jeff Petry
OUT: David Jiricek, Vinnie Hinostroza

The Wild did make the biggest trade of the NHL season. Adding Quinn Hughes makes this a different, dangerous club. Minnesota has a pretty obvious issue, though. The center depth chart — Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman, Danila Yurov, Michael McCarron, throw ex-Avs Nico Sturm and Yakov Trenin in there too — is clearly third-best among the “Big Three” in the Central.

And the Wild are most likely going to need to win a seven-game series against both of the other two.

4. Utah Mammoth (33-25-4, 70 points)

IN: Mackenzie Weegar
OUT: Olli Maata

Weegar’s play has dipped a bit recently, but could a playoff chase give him a boost? He’s one of the best players who was traded this past week, a fun addition for a young team that might be a year ahead of schedule. Utah is likely to end up with the winner of the Pacific Division. When Karel Vejmelka is in the net, the Mammoth are pretty clearly the fourth-best team in the West.

5. Anaheim Ducks (35-24-3, 73 points)

IN: John Carlson, Jeffrey Viel
OUT: Ryan Strome

Speaking of young teams ahead of schedule, the Ducks have arrived and might squeak out a division title. Carlson was a surprising addition, but that’s a pretty strong blue line now to help Anaheim’s collection of young scorers. The obvious question is, can this group hang with Vegas or Edmonton, two of the most battle-tested postseason clubs in the league, in a playoff series? Maybe the Ducks’ talent and speed will just overwhelm them. It’s worth noting Anaheim is 8-0 in shootouts this year. The Ducks will go 0-0 in shootouts once the tournament starts.

6. Vegas Golden Knights (29-20-14, 72 points)

IN: Rasmus Andersson, Nic Dowd, Cole Smith
OUT: Zack Whitecloud

The Ducks collect a bunch of shootout points. The Golden Knights collect a bunch of overtime loss points. Neither team wins in regulation very often. Vegas is the first of two teams that should be way better than. Will the Golden Knights flip some proverbial switch in mid-April? Andersson was a nice addition.

7. Edmonton Oilers (30-25-8, 68 points)

IN: Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach
OUT: Andrew Mangipane

Edmonton has also spent most of the season looking for the same “remember we are actually good” button as Vegas. The Oilers spent some premium assets to add depth players. They switched goaltenders in December, and no contender still has a bigger, more obvious flaw than Edmonton’s goaltending.

The Oilers have allowed 56 goals in the past 12 games. They could flame out in five games. They could still win the West, in theory.

8. Los Angeles Kings (25-22-14, 64 points)

IN: Artemi Panarin, Scott Laughton, Mathieu Joseph
OUT: Warren Foegele, Corey Perry, Liam Greentree

The Kings are yet another team that should be better. Adding Panarin could make them dangerous if they sneak in, but there are a bunch of injuries right now, and a push for the final wild-card spot could come up short. Maybe there will be a new-coach bump. Maybe they just are what the record has said most of the year.

9. Seattle Kraken (29-23-9, 67 points)

IN: Bobby McMann
OUT: None

McMann is a nice complementary player. Would have fit in well with the Avs, had a deal crossed the finish line there. It also feels like Seattle should have made another move? The Kraken are trying to reach the playoffs for the second time in five seasons, and still feel like a club with a nice foundation but short on the top-end talent to be more than this.

10. San Jose Sharks (30-25-5, 65 points)

IN: Kiefer Sherwood, Jet Woo
OUT: Timothy Liljegren, Jack Thompson

This team is exciting, if unpredictable. The fan base is coming back in droves and having a moment. The Shark Tank is alive again. The vibes are very high, and maybe the kids have one final push for a wild-card spot in them. But the Sharks did also just trade away their fourth-most-used defenseman this season, the one position that still needs some long-term work before Macklin Celebrini and Co. are ready to really compete in the postseason.

11. Nashville Predators (28-26-8, 64 points)

IN: None
OUT: Michael Bunting, Michael McCarron, Nick Blankenburg, Cole Smith

Could the zombie Predators still sneak in? They didn’t trade Ryan O’Reilly or Steven Stamkos, though they did gut the depth of the roster in a pretty significant way. The fact that O’Reilly is still in Music City, and not on one of the top contenders, was another small win for the Avs at the deadline.

The Avs went from a Stanley Cup contender to the obvious favorite after a 31-2-7 start. Internally, did the historic start alter the outlook, or heighten the sense of urgency for this group to win a second championship?

Eh, not really, says general manager Chris MacFarland.

“I don’t think so,” MacFarland said Monday night. “Obviously, that was an incredible start. But if we would have mixed in a few more losses in November and had a few more wins in January, I still think our expectation would be to try and make the team better for the playoff stretch drive and then ultimately the playoffs. We’ve got a lot of guys that are in the primes of their career here. They put in the work on and off the ice all year round.

“The fact that they got off to such a great start was what put us in this position to be sitting where we are today. So if we can help, I think they deserve the help.”

Shortly after MacFarland spoke, the Avalanche became the first NHL team to reach 40 wins this season. Colorado dominated Los Angeles for much of the game, but still needed a late goal from Devon Toews and also lost Artturi Lehkonen to an upper-body injury.

Devon Toews’ late goal helps Avalanche fend off pesky Kings in 4-2 win

The Avs play Tuesday night in Anaheim, holding a six-point lead on the Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division, Western Conference and the overall NHL standings. The Minnesota Wild, who already made one balance-of-power-shifting trade this season by acquiring Quinn Hughes, are nine points back of the Avs.

Two of the top teams in the Pacific Division, Vegas and Edmonton, have already added defensemen Rasmus Andersson and Connor Murphy, respectively. Colorado made a trade last week as well, sending Samuel Girard and a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Brett Kulak.

MacFarland called it a trade to change the mix of the defense corps, adding size and defensive play with Kulak. Still, there could, and probably should be, more work done by the Avs to bolster the roster between now and the Friday afternoon deadline.

"We're going to leave no stone unturned, like we usually do, if it makes sense," MacFarland said. "We've got some cap space to play with, and we'll see if there's the right fit. It's got to make sense from the asset acquisition cost, but if we can improve the team, we'd like to try to do that."

New Avalanche defenseman Brett Kulak brings versatility, experience playing with world-class talent: ‘I’m pretty fortunate’

There has been plenty of outside speculation about the Avs pursuing another center to play behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson, one of the league's best 1-2 punches at the position this season. Coach Jared Bednar said earlier this season that the one thing on his wishlist, even at the time when the Avs were bulldozing their way through the schedule, was a No. 3 center.

Jack Drury, Ross Colton and Parker Kelly have all spent time there. Bednar likes Colton and Kelly on the wings more — Kelly is having a breakout year playing mostly on the wing. Drury has been fine in the role and is one of the club's most trusted role players, but Bednar would like to have him center the fourth line come playoff time.

"I don't think we're looking at any sort of particular 3C or fourth-line wing," MacFarland said, despite various reports of the Avs' interest in multiple players who would likely fill the No. 3 center role. "If something makes us better, whether it's a winger, a center or another defenseman, then we'll certainly look at it over the next few days."

Another obvious place where the Avs could improve is the depth of the defense corps. Colorado's top-six defensemen form arguably the best corps in the NHL.

But, after sending the guy who spent the first part of the year as the club's No. 7, Ilya Solovyov, to Pittsburgh in a separate trade, none of the top 2-3 insurance options currently playing for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL have ever appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoffs contest.

"If we're not able to do anything, I think it's still a very good hockey team," MacFarland said. "I think we've got a lot of the tough-to-check boxes checked. We got off to a great start. We're sitting here in a good spot, but there's still 20-something games to go.

"If we can improve in any area, we'll try and do that. But it's a good hockey team, and they've done a great job to this date."

Just this season alone, Kulak has taken shifts with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard in Edmonton and Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in Pittsburgh.

“I’m pretty fortunate,” Kulak said Wednesday morning, after being traded to Colorado for Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick. “Each team carries a handful of guys that have around the league long time, lots of experience. So for me, you just come in, and I want to try to just absorb as much experience and wisdom and see how these guys go about their business and apply it to my career.”

Kulak had his first chance Wednesday morning to skate with the Avs at Delta Center ahead of the club’s first game back from the Olympic break against the Mammoth. He was expecting to spend an off day Tuesday in Pittsburgh with his family, resting and preparing for a stretch run with the surprising Penguins, who are in second place in the Metro Division.

Instead, he is playing for his third team this season — and moving his family across the continent for the second time in 10 weeks.

“To be honest, I was pretty surprised we got moved again, just the way the team is rolling,” Kulak said. “I thought at least I would probably at least finish out the year there. That is where my mind was at. But, this game and this league — it’ll surprise you when you least expect it and that was the case again.”

“We did it a couple months ago, from Edmonton to Pittsburgh. It’s a lot of phone calls, lots of logistics things, trying to organize. My wife and kids are kind of left to pick up the pieces. I move here and just bring my hockey bag and away I go. But there’s still lots to change. A lot happened yesterday, and it’ll be a busy few days for sure.”

Kulak played almost exclusively with Letang since being traded to Pittsburgh on Dec. 12. He also played a lot with Bouchard during the past two postseasons, which both resulted in Edmonton reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

He is a defense-first defenseman, but that experience playing with two of the best offensive-minded guys at the position could come in handy with the Avalanche. Coach Jared Bednar has already mentioned the idea of playing Kulak with Cale Makar in certain matchups during two media interviews within 24 hours of the trade.

“If you go back to playoffs two years ago and he had a great playoffs last year,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “They’re in the Stanley Cup Final twice. He’s playing with all kinds of different guys. I think he has the ability to defend top guys in the league, and not only in the regular season, but in the playoffs and do a nice job.

“I just think it provides us some matchup strengths that maybe we didn’t have with Girard. They’re completely different players, but the size, length, reach, he’s a really good defender off the rush and in zone. He protects the net in front really well. Those are things we could get better at, and I think he’s a guy that can help us do that.”

Kulak has also spent a lot of time during his career in a depth role, but during the 2025 playoffs the Oilers had to ask more of him. He averaged more than 23 minutes per game during Edmonton’s run to the Cup Final, second on the team to Bouchard.

He has never averaged more than 20:32 per contest during the regular season, but an injury for Mattias Ekholm thrust him into a bigger spotlight.

“It was awesome for me,” Kulak said. “The playoffs is always the best time of the year. The hockey is intense. Every night is a battle, and to just take on that role that I was given last year in the playoffs, it was special times. You’re having the most fun playing hockey when you’re involved to that level of the games, and the team’s winning and and you’re chasing after the Stanley Cup. Exciting times, and I’m looking to kind of get back to that.”

Kulak debuted with the Avs Wednesday night playing with Sam Malinski, another player with a similar playing style to Letang. His early review of how Colorado wants to play was a positive one.

There wasn’t much time for him to get up to speed, but the Avs have five contests in the next seven days so game reps will come fast and furious for him.

“I don’t want him thinking too much, but there’s a lot of similarities between the last two clubs that he’s played with and ours,” Bednar said. “So that’ll be a work in progress over the next few days. We gave him the basics this morning. He was able to see the pre-scout meeting this morning and … that was a little bit more in depth, because I wanted him to see some stuff. (Nolan Pratt) sat down with him. We’ll go over penalty kill with him a little bit, and then turn him loose and let him go play.”

Colorado sent Samuel Girard, the longest-tenured member of the defense corps, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brett Kulak. The Avs also included a 2028 second-round pick in the deal.

“I think hopefully it’s a good trade for our team, and it’s a good trade for (Girard),” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “G’s been an unbelievable teammate, a great player for this organization. … It’s sad to see guys like that go. But I think it could be a good move for him, little bit more opportunity.

“For us, you’re getting a big, solid ‘D’ that can skate and defend real well and move the puck. He does a lot of good things, a guy that’s been to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and was an integral part of (Edmonton’s) blue line and what they were trying to do as a team. We like the player a lot, and so we’re excited.”

Kulak, 32, began the season with the Edmonton Oilers but was traded to Pittsburgh in the deal that swapped starting goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry. The left-handed defenseman had no goals and two points in 31 games for the Oilers, but had a goal and seven points in the 25 contests for the Penguins.

He is an unrestricted free agent after this season. His cap hit for this season is $2.75 million. That’s $2.25 million less than Girard, who also has another year on his contract after this one.

Kulak has more than 600 games of regular-season experience plus another 98 contests in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has made the Cup Final three times — with Montreal in 2021 and Edmonton each of the past two seasons.

He was second on the Oilers in average ice time during the 2025 playoff run, logging 23:25 per game in part because Edmonton didn’t have Mattias Ekholm for 15 of the 22 contests.

“In Brett, we are acquiring a two-way defenseman who can play up and down the lineup,” Avs general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He logs big minutes in all situations and brings a ton of playoff experience that will help our blue line depth.”

Even if the Avs value Kulak’s size and defensive aptitude and the cap savings, it was a steep price to pay by including the second-round pick.

Girard arrived in Denver from Nashville via a blockbuster three-team trade on Nov. 5, 2017. The Avalanche sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa in the deal, which also netted a draft pick that became Bowen Byram.

It was a franchise-altering trade, and a huge part of Colorado’s eventual rise and run to the Stanley Cup in 2022. Girard played 583 regular-season games for the Avalanche, plus another 67 during the playoffs.

He has spent most of his career playing behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews, and has often been mentioned as a player who could collect more points with a bigger opportunity elsewhere. Girard has also been a beloved teammate, someone who the Avs rallied around when he entered the NHL/NHLPA Players’ Assistance Program in Nov. 2023 and returned in a much better place.

“It’s tough,” said Josh Manson, who has played with Girard since 2022 and been his defense partner on many nights before this season. “Just saying, ‘It’s a business,’ doesn’t make it any easier. You still have feelings and friendships and years of time spent together. It never gets any easier to see somebody walk out the door.

“I’m definitely going to miss him.”

Kulak will join the Avs in Salt Lake City, and Bednar said he will play Wednesday night against the Utah Mammoth in the club’s first game back from the Olympic break. Bednar also said adding Kulak gives the club more versatility with how he can deploy his defensemen in the playoffs, specifically noting that he could play Kulak with Makar in situations when he wants to split up his two Canadian Olympians for matchup purposes.

The trade opens up more cap space for Colorado. Two potential needs for the club remain adding depth on defense behind the six guys the Avs have right now, and upgrading at the No. 3 center position.

How much space the Avs have to work with is still variable. Logan O’Connor and his $2.5 million cap hit are still on long-term injured reserve, but he’s been skating again recently. Will he return before the season ends, or can the Avs use that space between now and March 6?

Also, Brent Burns’ contract is bonus-laden. He had a $1 million base salary, with $3 million more in incentives. He’s already hit the first incentive for $2 million (10 games played), but is very unlikely to collect the last $1 (70 games played while averaging 23 minutes per night).

Still, the Avs can be flexible with that extra $2 million in bonuses owed to Burns. Some, or all, of it can be delayed to count against the 2026-27 cap if Colorado needs to push closer to the ceiling during this season.

The Avs coughed up a two-goal advantage early in the third period, but still defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, Wednesday night at Ball Arena. Colorado reaches the NHL’s break for the 2026 Winter Olympics atop the league standings with 83 points. The 37-9-9 record includes a 32-0-0 mark when leading a game by two or more goals at any point.

Josh Manson’s blast from the top of the offensive zone gave the Avs the lead with 7:16 remaining. Valeri Nichushkin set him up with his third assist of the night.

“If we’re up by two, it’s because we’re playing well and it’s hard for teams to come back on us,” Manson said. “Our game is just kind of smothering. We we get up and teams get desperate to come back, we can kind of turn it on and make them pay for their mistakes.”

Nathan MacKinnon collected his second assist on Manson’s goal, which were career Nos. 700 and 701. MacKinnon wasn’t credited with a third assist, but his battle with Macklin Celebrini in the neutral zone helped create an empty-net goal for Brock Nelson with 1:17 remaining.

San Jose struck twice in the opening four minutes to erase a two-goal deficit.

Alexander Wennberg carried the puck into the Colorado zone on the right wing and all the way below the goal line. He turned and set up defenseman Timothy Liljegren trailing the play for a one-timer from the right point. The puck went off Parker Kelly’s stick and deflected past Mackenzie Blackwood just 43 seconds into the third.

Philipp Kurashev evened the score at 3:34. Samuel Girard turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, which led to an odd-man rush for San Jose. Kurashev kept it himself and fooled Blackwood with his shot.

The Avs bent early in the third, but did not break.

“I loved our first two periods,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We had a dip at the start of the third, but it was a lucky play. We were doing the right things. Then we make a couple mistakes and they capitalize on one.

“You’ve got to regroup. You’ve got to find a way to dig in and get back your game as quick as you can. I thought we did that, and ended up winning the hockey game.”

Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring 65 seconds into the second period. It was a wild scramble in the Sharks crease, and Lehkonen was credited with the goal. Yaroslav Askarov had lunged forward trying to make a save, and by the time the puck crossed the goal line two San Jose players were laying in the blue paint and all three Colorado top-line forwards were digging for it.

The Finnish forward made it a 2-0 lead at 15:47 of the second. Nichushkin tried to get the puck to MacKinnon during an odd-man rush. His first attempt didn’t get there, and the second was too late for MacKinnon to shoot. He collected it, curled around to the right of the goalie and found Lehkonen in the right circle for a one-timer.

It was Lehkonen’s second of the night and 19th goal of the season. His career high is 27, set last season in 69 games. Lehkonen is now on pace for 28 after this effort.

MacKinnon two points give him 93 on the season. He began the day four back of Connor McDavid for the NHL scoring lead.

The Avalanche controlled play in the first period, but Askarov made a couple of huge saves, including one on a one-timer from MacKinnon. Avs coach Jared Bednar said after the morning skate that he wanted his team to improve the effort on the forecheck and get off to a better start, particularly after yielding a goal in the first shift Monday night en route to a 2-0 loss.

Message received — the Avs were all over the Sharks from the first whistle, racking up four shots on goal and nine attempts before the game was three minutes old.

Now, the Avs will not play again until Feb. 25, when they will begin a 27 games in 51 days mad dash to the playoffs. Eight players will head for Milan and the first Winter Olympics with NHL players in 12 years. Canada, which will feature three Avalanche players, has won every best-on-best international event with NHL players in the past 16 years, including two Olympics, a World Cup of Hockey and the Four Nations tournament last year.

“Hockey in Canada, there’s nothing quite like it,” MacKinnon said. “It’s kind of like football down here. It’s a big deal. Obviously a lot of pressure on us, and it’s exciting.

“It kind of brings the whole country together, no matter what’s going on.”

An undrafted free agent who took a less traditional path to the NHL, Malinski signed a four-year, $19 million contract Tuesday with the Colorado Avalanche. The annual average value of the deal is $4.75 million, a league source confirmed.

“(Negotiations) have been going on for kind of the past few weeks,” Malinski said. “So just really excited and happy to get it done with kind of earlier rather than later. … Any time you’re playing in this business, you don’t really have that stability in knowing where you’re going to play and where you’re going to live each year. Now that I’m kind of signed to a little bit of term, it’s really nice to have that stability.”

The Avs signed Malinski as an undrafted free agent in March 2023 after four years at Cornell. Already 24 years old when Colorado signed him, Malinski faced long odds to become an NHL regular, let alone an impact player worthy of a long-term commitment.

He was a part-time player for the Avs as a first-year pro in 2023-24, and has steadily worked his way both into and up the depth chart for Colorado. Malinski has three goals and 24 points in 50 games this season. That’s one less point than he had in 99 games across the previous two seasons.

“I think it’s well deserved,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Continuously getting better and better — year over year, month over month, really, for us — the improvement of his defensive game for me this year, from the start of the year even to now for a long stretch has been really impressive. We’ve talked about how we like the way he skates, how he can get involved in the offensive side of the game, the way he shoots the puck. I think that part of his game is elevated for us this year with some of the guys out of the lineup and playing in different spots.

“He looks better and better now playing the left (side) than he did earlier in the year. He struggled with it a little bit, but now he’s comfortable. Cale (Makar) obviously can make that a little bit easier job for him, so he’s becoming a versatile player for us.”

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Malinski has drawn some comparisons to Makar because of their similar size and both are offensively gifted right-handed shots. A year ago, Malinski excelled in a third-pairing role but struggled at times when he was needed up in the lineup as an injury replacement.

This season, he’s been a big part of why the Avs are the league’s best team. He’s dominated in a third-pairing role when everyone is healthy, but also has held his own when pressed into more responsibility with Devon Toews out of the lineup.

“I’m really happy for him,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “Really excited for us. He’s really turned into a player. We could always see it. We knew it was in there. I think it’s just kind of coming out of him, the confidence he needed in himself maybe to flourish a little bit. He’s proven that he earned a contract like that, and I think the organization should be excited to have him just as the players here are.”

Malinski, who will turn 28 this summer, is now under contract through 2029-30. He’s the eighth player on the roster with a deal that runs through at least 2030, but only the second defenseman along with Toews. Brent Burns is a pending free agent after this season, Makar and Samuel Girard are up after next year and Manson will be an unrestricted free agent in 2029.

Odds for undrafted players are typically long to become an NHL regular, let alone an impact guy worthy of a long-term commitment. The Avs, who have traded away draft picks and prospects for years in pursuit of NHL players able to help chase the Stanley Cup, have become one of the most active franchises in the undrafted free agent market. Logan O’Connor, who signed a six-year contract in Sept. 2024, is also one of the team’s development success stories.

“I’ve definitely thought back on the journey,” Malinski said. “I think that’s something my mom tells me, reminders to look back at all the people that have helped me get to where I am. It definitely hasn’t been the typical route. It’s been a grind and long journey, for sure.”

FOOTNOTES: Injured players Gabe Landeskog, Devon Toews and Ross Colton all practiced Tuesday with the Avs at the Maple Leafs’ practice facility. It was Landeskog’s first practice with the team after skating by himself a couple of times in recent days. Bednar said the Avs captain is trending towards being able to play for Sweden in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and didn’t rule out him playing for Colorado before the break. He said Colton is doubtful to play Wednesday night in Ottawa, while Toews is definitely out. Both players could return at some point during this road trip.

Brock Nelson’s wife, Karley, was back home in Minnesota while his New York Islanders team was trying to stay alive during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders were in Raleigh, N.C., the day of Game 4 and trailing 3-0 in the series.

Nelson found out during the afternoon that Karley was going into labor with their second child. The season was on the line that night, but Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello had something more important to arrange. He caught up with Nelson just before the game to put his star center’s mind at ease.

“I had spoke with Lou before. He kind of knew the situation,” Nelson said. “He was unbelievable. He said, ‘No matter what happens, I have a plane, we have everything ready for you to go be there with your family.’ I feel like every team, you always hear good stories of them making sure that everything’s going to be taken care of. Then you can do whatever you, and more importantly, what your wife is most comfortable with. It’s such an important event for everyone.”

The Nelsons have four kids now, and the Colorado Avalanche locker room is just starting the process of welcoming three new members to its family.

Scott Wedgewood’s wife, Brittany, welcomed their second child to the world on Thursday. She is the first, but two other Avalanche wives are all expecting in the coming weeks.

“You’ve got to be flexible,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “That’s what it comes down to. We’re going to have a few more of these coming before too long. You’ve just got to stay flexible and keep your phone on.”

Devon Toews’ wife, Kerry, is expecting their fourth child in early February. Toews has been selected to play for Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics, but the Avs defenseman said he’s not joining his countrymen in Milan until the baby is born and his wife is settled.

They don’t expect it to be an issue, other than possibly he shows up a day or two late for pre-tournament practices. Victor Olofsson’s wife, Taylor, is expecting their second child a few weeks later.

Her current due date is Feb. 25, which is the day of Colorado’s first post-Olympic break game at Utah.

“It’s tough,” Olofsson said. “You obviously don’t want to miss games, but this is bigger than hockey, so you’re probably going to miss a game or two. If it happens during the break, that would be nice. Get to spend a little bit more time at home with the baby and help out.”

Navigating the NHL schedule and the birth of a child in-season can be tricky, but teams are typically accommodating for whatever their players and their partners need.

The Avs are an older team, and therefore have more players with young families. It can help them get settled in new places — Nelson credited Toews with helping to recruit him to Colorado and noted that having their kids play together was a cool experience, as an example.

Olofsson knew Wedgewood from a season together in the AHL, and now this year they’ve had chances to hang out at their daughters’ gymnastics and dance classes. Now they’ve also gone through pregnancies together.

“It can be pretty lonely sometimes for the wives and girlfriends to be away from their family and friends,” Olofsson said. “It’s not easy to go see everyone. I think having a couple other people in the same position as you helps a lot. It helps kind of create … maybe not a new family, but closer friends you can hang out with who are in similar situations.”

Wedgewood had the morning off Friday as the Avs prepared to face the Philadelphia Flyers. He was expected to be at Ball Arena and able to back up Mackenzie Blackwood.

Nelson scored a goal that night in Raleigh back in 2019, the last goal of that Islanders season. Two years later, his third child was born the day of Game 4 and he scored twice in Game 6 to help the Islanders knock out the Bruins and advance to the next round.

He has been enjoying watching his teammates get ready for such an important moment in their lives.

“I feel like it’s fun when you have that,” Avs forward Brock Nelson said. “There were a couple times on The Island where three or four of us were all expecting a child. It is a lot of excitement. It’s such an unbelievable miracle, to watch the whole process and go through it. To have a couple of guys and their wives go through it at the same time is a nice little support system. You can kind of bounce things off each other, see how they feel, check in with each other and just enjoy everything.

“It sounds like everything went well for (the Wedgewoods), which is great. Healthy little girl. Can’t wait to meet her.”

While this stretch of games did create a lifetime memory for Solovyov with his first NHL goal, his future now lies elsewhere. The Avalanche traded Solovyov on Tuesday to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

Solovyov, claimed on waivers four days before the season opener, had a goal and three points in 16 games for the Avs.

“We’ve got some guys down there that we really liked and have played well,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Like, Jack (Ahcan) has played really well for us. (Toews) is getting close. And I think sometimes long-term plans override just who we’re putting in for the next game or two.”

Ahcan played six games for the Avs earlier this season, replacing Solovyov in the lineup as the replacement for an injured Samuel Girard. Keaton Middleton played 41 games for the Avalanche last year, but was sent down when the club added Solovyov and hasn’t been back. Wyatt Aamodt played the final two games of last season with the Avs and could also be a consideration.

Whether or not Solovyov solidified his place as the No. 7 guy on the depth chart, the Avs were likely still to be in the market for a defenseman ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Now, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club tries to add two.

One player the Avs could add for nothing Wednesday morning is Vladislav Kolyachonok, who was put on waivers by the Boston Bruins. Kolyachonok is a year younger than Solovyov, but is also a 6-foot-2 left-shooting defenseman with 87 games of NHL experience.

He has played for four different NHL clubs in the past two seasons, including Boston and Dallas this year. The Avs are last in the waiver claim queue because of being first in the league standings, so they’d need every other team to pass on Kolyachonok to have a chance to claim him.

Colorado’s defense corps has been immense this season when the top-six guys are healthy. But even within those top six, four of them are right-handed, and three of them are small by NHL standards. Whether or not the Avs just try to add a defenseman or two ahead of the deadline as depth pieces, or actually take a swing at landing someone who could play every night — either pushing one of the current top six out of the lineup or onto another team in a trade — remains to be seen.

Bednar has previously identified a resolution at the No. 3 center position as the top item on his wishlist, but Ahcan, Middleton and Aamodt have combined to play in zero Stanley Cup Playoff games. A team with Cup or bust aspirations, particularly one that is considered a favorite to win this year, is very unlikely to enter the postseason this thin at that position.

As for the short-term roster situation, there was some good news Tuesday. Valeri Nichushkin, one day after being involved in a car accident en route to Ball Arena, practiced and worked out with his teammates.

“He seems to be good,” Bednar said. “He should play tomorrow.”

Toews and Joel Kiviranta were on the ice at the team’s practice facility again. Kiviranta is not expected to be ready on Wednesday to play the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena, but Bednar said he hopes to have the Finnish Olympian back on Friday against Philadelphia.

Puustinen, 26, has seven goals and 24 points in 66 career NHL games. He hasn’t played in the NHL this year, but does have 26 points in 35 games for Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.