MacKinnon leads Avs past Penguins: Central Division roundup

The race at the top of the Central Division tightened again on Friday night. The Colorado Avalanche took centre stage and did their part to chase down the Utah Mammoth, riding a dominant performance from their franchise centre against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

MacKinnon takes over as Avalanche roll past Penguins

According to Sportsnet and La Presse, Nathan MacKinnon posted three assists and a power-play goal in Colorado’s 5-2 win over Pittsburgh. Artturi Lehkonen added a pair of goals, and T.J. Hughes scored his first NHL goal off a MacKinnon assist, as reported by Sportsnet. The victory pushes Colorado to 11 points through eight games (5-2-1), keeping the Avalanche in second place in the Central, just one point back of first.

On the other side, Sportsnet notes that Sidney Crosby set up Bryan Rust on a two-on-one to move into seventh place on the NHL’s all-time assists list. Even with that milestone, the night ultimately belonged to the Avalanche attack.

Mammoth still on top, Oilers gearing up for rematch

The Utah Mammoth remain on top of the Central with 12 points in eight games (6-2-0). As The Hockey Writers points out, Utah recently handed the Edmonton Oilers their first regulation loss of the season, a 4-2 win at Rogers Place on Thursday. Daily Faceoff adds that the Oilers begin a five-game homestand and are getting healthier, noting that Zach Hyman will return and that more regulars are likely to play when they face the Mammoth.

Jets banged up, Predators’ leads slipping, Wild hanging in

In Winnipeg, The Hockey Writers reports that forward Vladislav Namestnikov is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to head coach Scott Arniel. Sportsnet echoes that timetable. Meanwhile, The Hockey News’ rumour roundup suggests Connor Hellebuyck could end his holdout and return to the Jets, but indicates the club appears to have moved on without him. Despite the uncertainty, Winnipeg sits fourth in the Central at 4-1-2, with 10 points in seven games.

The Minnesota Wild, third at 5-2-1 (11 points), are "making it through" a significant wave of injuries, including two suffered before the regular season, according to The Hockey Writers. The same outlet notes that Minnesota snapped the St. Louis Blues’ two-game win streak with a 5-4 home victory on Thursday, dropping the Blues (3-3-1) to fifth.

Further down the table, The Hockey Writers highlights another missed opportunity for the Nashville Predators (2-2-3), who blew a lead in a 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks and have shown a pattern of letting games slip away. In Chicago, The Hockey Writers points to a 4-3 overtime win over the Jets as the Blackhawks’ first game of the season to go beyond regulation, ending in a home-ice victory. That result lifts Chicago to 3-5-0, still eighth in the Central. The Dallas Stars (3-3-1) were idle and remain tied with Nashville for sixth.