AVS COOL OFF VEGAS
Mikko Rantanen scored twice, including 14 seconds into the game, and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 31 shots to help the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Monday night for their sixth straight win.
Rantanen reached the 40goal mark in a season for the first time in his career. His quick score tied for the seventh-fastest goal to start a game in Avalanche history.
Nathan Mackinnon added an empty-net goal with a shot from his own end with 3:27 remaining. He extended his points streak to eight straight games.
The Avalanche finished February with a 7-1-2 record, making this the 26th month in a row the team has gone .500 or better. It matches the franchise record set from March 1994 to February 1998.
Georgiev posted his third shutout of the season and first since Dec. 19 against the New York Islanders.
Ivan Barbashev made his Vegas debut after being acquired as part of a deal with St. Louis on Sunday. He began on a line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault.
Adin Hill had 31 saves for the Golden Knights, who lost in regulation for the first time since Jan. 27. They’re now 6-1-3 over their last 10 games.
Rantanen’s 40th goal of the season came on a liner in the second period off a cross-ice pass from J.T. Compher.
By reaching 40 goals in 58 games, Rantanen became the fastest Colorado player to hit the mark since the franchise moved to Denver in 199596. He broke the mark held by Joe Sakic, who reached 40 goals in his 65th game in ‘95-96.
Rantanen got things rolling before some fans were even settled into their seats. He capitalized on a miscue from Hill, who tried to fling the puck deep from behind the net. Rantanen batted it down and lined it in. He’s scored in five straight games.
Jack’s back
Defenseman Jack Johnson rocketed up the standings in being dealt from a struggling Chicago team to the contending Avalanche on Sunday. Johnson helped the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship last season.
“I’m just trying to be a piece again, like last year — help out as much as I can,” Johnson said.
Captain update
Avalanche GM Chris Macfarland didn’t divulge his level of concern for the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, who’s been sidelined all season with a knee injury.
“He’s doing everything he can to get back,” Macfarland said.
Macfarland on deadline: ‘If it makes sense, we’ll strike’
With 90 hours and counting until the trade deadline, Avalanche general manager Chris Macfarland outlined that Colorado is not dead-set on adding any particular asset or position this week.
But, he added, “if it makes sense, we’ll strike.”
“I don’t think we’re focused in on any one positional silo,” Macfarland told local reporters Monday night. “If there’s something that makes sense, whether it’s at forward or D, we’ll look at it.”
The salary cap is an especially critical component as Colorado navigates its trade options before the 1 p.m. MST cutoff Friday. Forward Gabriel Landeskog (knee) and defenseman Erik Johnson (ankle) are both injured without an imminent return timeline, and whether they are able to return during the regular season will impact what the Avs can or can’t do at the deadline.
“That’s a good question,” Macfarland said when asked about his confidence that Landeskog can return before the playoffs. “That’s something that we’re still — our medical staff, the doctors and Gabe himself will obviously control. He’s a really important piece. We’ve missed him all year, but I think there’s more info to glean as we move along here.”