DENVER (AP) \u2014 Nathan MacKinnon was one of six Colorado players to score and the Avalanche cruised to a 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sam Malinski, Brock Nelson, Gavin Brindley, Artturi Lehkonen and captain Gabriel Landeskog also had goals. The Avalanche saw 13 different players record at least a point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colorado (22-2-7) now has a league-leading 51 points this season and became the sixth team over the last 20 years to reach the 50-point mark in 31 games or fewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the game, the Avalanche honored the 1995-96 Stanley Cup team, which captured the Mile High City’s first major professional sports championship. The Avalanche moved to town from Quebec before that season and swept Florida in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noah Gregor and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers. Daniil Tarasov was kept busy by the high-flying Avalanche offense and finished with 36 saves, including a stop of MacKinnon on a penalty shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Panthers looked sluggish \u2014 Malinski scored 1:14 into the game \u2014 after playing in Utah the night before and beating the Mammoth 4-3. This contest started a tough stretch for the Panthers with 10 straight games against teams that were in the playoffs last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MacKinnon\u2019s second-period score was his 392nd career goal and moved him by Joe Sakic (391) for the most in Avalanche history. Sakic has a franchise-most 625 goals over his career for the Nordiques and Avalanche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves for Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brindley scored and had an assist in his first game since Nov. 20. Brindley, who’s been out with an injury, had his goal set up by the 40-year-old Brent Burns. Brindley wasn’t born when Burns was drafted in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Panthers: At Dallas on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avalanche: Host Nashville on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"