EDMONTON — The Colorado Avalanche haven’t shown any signs of going into the playoffs on cruise control. Nathan MacKinnon scored the shootout winner as the Colorado Avalanche came away with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the league-leading Avalanche (53-16-11), who have won three of their last four overall and seven straight road games. “I think we’re all excited for playoffs, but we want to make sure we’re playing the right way right now too,” said Malinski, adding that there is no hesitancy with playoffs on the horizon. “I don’t think we have any of that. We’re all just so competitive that we play to win no matter what.” Colorado has allowed just nine goals against in its last six outings. The Avalanche continue to be terrors on the road, now sporting a 28-7-5 record away from Denver. Goalie Scott Wedgewood, who made 30 saves in the win, said he felt his team was still giving it everything despite the game meaning far more to Edmonton. “They were still closing gaps on guys, not letting them tee up heavy one-timers and just doing the right detailed things to prevent scoring chances,” he said. “And then, obviously, they’re going to play a tight defensive game and they’re fighting for points. To come away with two is obviously a nice bonus near the end here.” Colorado has already locked up the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, but still has an opportunity to set a new franchise record for points in a single season. The Avs boast 117 points with two games left, two shy of the 119 they posted before winning the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. Colorado also hit 118 points in 2000-01 before another championship run, so the point milestones seem to bode well. “It took us a little while to get going, the first few minutes of the hockey game, but I thought after that we played a really sound hockey game. Especially through the majority of the last 50 minutes,” said Colorado assistant coach Dave Hakstol. “Forget about the standings, it still matters. Winning and losing matters and the group in the room did a good job getting ready to play.” Hakstol is stepping in for head coach Jared Bednar, who’s not on the road trip after he was hit in the face by a puck during Saturday’s game against Vegas, suffering facial fractures and a corneal abrasion. The Avs were also missing the likes of Nazem Kadri (finger), Cale Makar (upper body) and Josh Manson (upper body). Colorado forward Brock Nelson played in his 1000th game, becoming the seventh player from the 2010 NHL Draft to reach the mark. Nelson, who came into the contest with 33 goals and 652 points in his career, was playing in his 99th game for the Avs after spending the bulk of his time with the Islanders. This season has now featured 17 players who have hit 1,000, breaking the record of 16 set in 2023-24. Connor McDavid replied for the Oilers (40-30-11), who have lost four of their last five with just one game remaining in the regular season. Edmonton could finish anywhere from first to fourth in the Pacific Division, and could even end up facing the Avalanche in the first round. “The commitment was there defensively tonight,” said defender Connor Murphy. “We had some chances offensively and I even thought our power play had good looks. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the extra goal. At this time of year it’s not fun to take moral victories or anything, so we’ve just got to retool to get a win next game.” The Oilers remained without forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, although both resumed skating with the team on Monday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2026. Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
