MARCH 10•SACBEE.COM
Can Colorado's New Deadline Additions Return Them to Cup Glory?With Colorado’s deadline acquisition of Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker, can they return to the same level that they were during their 202...
With trade deadline over, Wild reflect on ups and downs of the seasonThe Wild lost Brandon Duhaime, Pat Maroon and Connor Dewar at the deadline, but the situation could have been different if not for a few fac...
MARCH 9•STARTRIBUNE.COM
Casey Mittelstadt - Makes Avalanche debutMittelstadt recorded one shot on net, one block and one hit in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Wild.
ImpactMittelstadt, acquired earlier this week by Colorado, made his Avalanche debut Friday. He centered the second line with Jonathan Drouin and Valeri Nichushkin at his flanks. Mittelstadt was on the ice for 16 shifts, including part of the second-unit power play, and finished with 13:56 TOI, roughly four fewer minutes than he averaged while with the Sabres.
MARCH 9•ROTOWIRE
Mikko Rantanen - Point steak at nine gamesRantanen had a power-play assist, six shots on net, two hits and four penalty minutes in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over Minnesota.
ImpactRantanen picked up the primary helper on Valeri Nichushkin's overtime winner. The assist extended Rantanen's point streak to nine games, during which he has 14 points including at least one assist in all nine games. The 27-year-old forward has 53 helpers and is closing in on his career-high 56 assists, which he achieved in 2021-22 and 2018-19.
MARCH 9•ROTOWIRE
Artturi Lehkonen - Scores early in winLehkonen scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Wild. He added two hits and two penalty minutes to his line.
ImpactLehkonen put the Avalanche on top just 42 seconds into the game, potting his 11th goal of the season. After just one point in the first six games back from a lengthy absence due to injury, his offensive production ramped up dramatically with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) over the last 12 games. Playing on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen will do that for a player.
MARCH 9•ROTOWIRE
Valeri Nichushkin - Triumphant return to lineupNichushkin scored the overtime winner in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Wild.
ImpactBack in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 10, Nichushkin parked himself in front of the net on an Avs power play in OT, calmly settled down a bouncing puck and tucked it inside the post past Filip Gustavsson. Nichushkin missed 22 games after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and while he did get eased back into action to some extent -- his 17:48 TOI was his lowest since early November -- the fact that he was on the ice for an overtime power play speaks volumes about his importance to the Avalanche. Through 41 contests on the season, the 29-year-old winger has 23 goals and 43 points.
MARCH 9•ROTOWIRE
Nathan MacKinnon - Two helpers in OT winMacKinnon notched two assists, one on the power play, in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Wild.
ImpactAfter getting the puck to Artturi Lehkonen for a tally just 42 seconds into the first period, MacKinnon helped set up the game-winner for a returning Valeri Nichushkin midway through OT. MacKinnon has registered three straight multi-point performances, and nine in total over the course of his current 12-game point streak -- a stretch in which he's erupted for eight goals and 26 points. The surge has carried him to the top of the NHL scoring race with 111 points (40 goals, 71 assists) through 65 contests. He's also gotten onto the scoresheet in 32 straight home games to begin the season, tying him with Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur for the third-longest streak in league history. Wayne Gretzky holds the all-time record at 40 games, set in 1988-89 with the Kings.
MARCH 9•ROTOWIRE
