Lehk Amok

The Colorado Avalanche's last game before the holiday break was a big home victory against the Seattle Kraken, which was centered by Joel Kiviranta's Hat Trick. The Avs returned to action with two games left in the calendar year, and the first of those two games was a meeting with the Utah Hockey Club. This was the third meeting of the season, with the two teams splitting the first two, though the road team is undefeated in this season set.

Entering this game, the Avs made a big investment: giving Mackenzie Blackwood a huge payday for five years. We mean business when it comes to our new goaltending, that's for sure. Blackwood was in net in this game against Karel Vejmelka, and it was an adventure for both goalies. Both teams delivered a lot of shots, but for the first 20 minutes, nothing went in. It doesn't surprise me on the other end; Vejmelka's known for goalie-ing teams.

Second period was more of the same, and it was actually scoreless halfway into the game. Artturi Lehkonen changed that at 11:52, and the assists came from Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Malinski. Avs ended up shorthanded a minute later, but that power play was killed off. Avs pressed for a second goal, and with just a few seconds left, we see a fight! In a shocker, it's MacKinnon fighting. That's very rare; we usually don't see the superstars fight, but Mack got down and dirty with Barrett Hayton at 19:52. A well-earned five minutes for both players.

Mack was in the box to start the third, and that also saw his cohort in points scoring, Rantanen, join him early in the period. Utah's PP resulted in the game being tied, and it was Nick Schmaltz who evened things up. 1-1 score held up for a good bit, though strangely, I never believed overtime would happen. I had good reason not to: because Lehkonen struck again to make it 2-1. Utah pulled Vejmelka for the extra attacker, but that allowed Rantanen to put it in and make it 3-1. Utah decided to go for it again, and this time, Lehkonen completed the Hat Trick--his first of his career!

Another game, another Avalanche Hat Trick. On the 23rd, it was Joel Kiviranta. In this game, it was Artturi Lehkonen. We really bring out the best in players when we acquire them, don't we? Here's the thing, though: Lehkonen was already this good. Why do you think I was elated when we got him two years ago? I knew how good he was with the Canadiens, and he was just coming off that clutch OT goal that sent the Habs to the Final in 2021. He would do it again in 2022, and score the Cup-clinching goal in Game Six. All of that earned Lehky a HUGE contract, and boy was it well earned! Lehkonen has been wonders for the Avs ever since that March 2022 afternoon that we made the trade for him.

The game also saw Nathan MacKinnon rack up three helpers, and Mackenzie Blackwood had 34 saves. What a win for the Avalanche, and next up, the Avs will host the Winnipeg Jets on New Year's Eve. That game will be the first in a four-game homestand that includes hosting the Sabres (Thursday), Canadiens (Saturday), and Panthers (Next Monday).

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