Rantanen scores hat trick, Avalanche beat Sharks 6-2

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Mikko Rantanen scored a hat-trick to steer the Colorado Avalanche previous the San Jose Sharks 6-2 Thursday night time.

Rantanen reached 52 targets on the season and completed with 4 factors within the recreation. Nathan MacKinnon additionally scored a aim and had 4 factors. Ben Meyers scored the opposite two targets for Colorado, and Alexandar Georgiev made 21 saves.

″(I) play with good teammates and good linemates. They’re making good performs for me to attain like at the moment once more. It’s simply enjoyable to share it with them, for positive,” Rantanen stated.

Erik Karlsson had a aim and help to up his level complete to 98 for the season. Steven Lorentz additionally scored for San Jose. Kaapo Kahkonen made 15 saves earlier than he was pulled.

“We had a great start to the game. We were just kind of going blow for blow in the beginning. We felt good about that first period going into the second. And then we had that couple-minute lapse where they just put it in,” Lorentz stated. “I think it was two or three (goals) in the span of three or four minutes. That’s just stuff that can’t really happen if you’re trying to win a hockey game.”

Karlsson scored his twenty third aim of the season when he crashed the web to discover a unfastened puck to fit house at 15:43 of the primary. Forward Jacob Peterson earned a secondary help on the play extending his level streak to 5.

PHOTOS: Rantanen scores hat trick, Avalanche beat Sharks 6-2

“They’re the defending Stanley Cup champions, and they’re just better than we are,” Sharks coach David Quinn stated. “At the end of the day, talent caught up to us over a two-game series. That’s all that happened, really.”

Rantanen scored his fiftieth of the season at 16:45 of the primary interval by cleansing up a rebound in entrance.

During the second interval, each MacKinnon and Rantanen had three factors. Rantanen completed the second with two targets and one help, whereas MacKinnon obtained one aim and two assists.

“Just seems like the bigger the game as it comes down the stretch, some players can have a tough time creating offense when things really tighten up the second half of the year,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar stated of MacKinnon. “He just seems to find a way to become more productive than in the big games.”

Ben Meyers scored his second aim of the season on a breakaway at 15:08 of the second body. Matt Nieto would get his first of two assists to Meyers on the play.

“It’s good to see because you need that secondary scoring. You need all lines contributing, and he certainly did that tonight,” Bednar stated.

Meyers added his third of the season at 3:12 of the ultimate interval. Nieto would get a secondary help on the play.

UP NEXT:

Avalanche: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.