Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche rout the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night.

The Wild held two separate leads before falling to Connor McDavid and the Oilers, losing Marcus Johansson along the way.

Minnesota was without its top three defensemen against high-flying Colorado, and Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin were sorely missed.

Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O'Connor each had a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche cruised to a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

The Colorado Avalanche came into Thursday night with a primetime matchup that everyone wanted to see. The Edmonton Oilers have all the star power in the world and are seeking to win their first Stanley Cup in the Connor McDavid era.

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in an NHL Western Conference clash at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday (Jan. 16) night. Viktor Arvidsson, Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers.

But in a season full of statements, the Oilers issued another one Thursday in Denver, turning a night when they had every excuse to shrug their shoulders and look for a soft spot on the canvas into one of the most impressive comeback wins you’re ever going to witness.

The Oilers erase a multi-goal deficit for the third time in four games to win to clinch their fourth straight victory on Thursday night in a 4-3 comeback win over the Avalanche at Ball Arena

Draisaitl's elite production has led the Oilers to a top-five position in the NHL standings and he is firmly in the mix to take home his second Hart Trophy. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Draisaitl has the third-best odds to win the award at +320. Only Nathan MacKinnon at +280 and his Oilers teammate Connor McDavid at +300 have shorter odds.

Alex Ovechkin's OT goal was his 874th career goal, putting him 20 away away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894.

It’s safe to assume NHL players forgo the usual health-related resolutions the rest of us double-down on this time of year. Being pro athletes in the prime of their lives and all, there are probably other things these fitness freaks can focus on.

The Colorado Avalanche haven’t made much progress in contract negotiations with star goal scorer Mikko Rantanen, and there might still be a ton of work to be do