After their worst loss of the season against the Nashville Predators, the Colorado Avalanche face off against the Washington Capitals. There were some questionable calls in this game, but it was the Avalanche who capitalized on their chances late and secured a 5-2 victory.
Period 1:
Ilya Solovyov is called for an early holding call, but the Avalanche are able to kill it off. Cale Makar shakes off Ryan Lenard with a nifty spin move on the blue line and sends a wrist shot towards the net, which Parker Kelly tips in to open the scoring. That is his ninth goal of the season, officially marking a career high in goals.
Included in the goal is Alex Barre-Boulet, who was called up before the game to replace Valeri Nichushkin, and he gets the secondary assist on the goal, his first point as a Colorado Avalanche.
Then one of the most controversial calls of the season happens as Scott Wedgewood is called for tripping when a Capital knocks his stick out of his hands and trips over it behind the net. Jacob Chychrun capitalizes on the power play as he rips home a wrist shot from the blue line and in to tie the game 1-1. Josh Manson is called high-sticking, but the Avalanche kills off that penalty, and the period ends 1-1.
Period 2:
Jacob Chychrun, behind the net, goes to battle for the loose puck infront of his own net but gets called for high-sticking Ross Colton. The call is a double minor, and after review, it stands, sending the Avalanche to a 4-minute power play. Halfway through the power play, Martin Necas helps Nathan MacKinnon explode into the offensive zone with a nifty drop pass, and MacKinnon rips it to make it 2-1.
Ivan Miroshnichenko was called for hooking, but Samuel Girard was called for holding, leading to 4-on-4 time. Aliaksei Protas called for interference, but the Avalanche can’t capitalize on it. Victor Olofsson roofs a rebound off a Manson point shot to make it 3-1. Brock Nelson with a clean face-off win to help get the puck straight to Manson, which sets up the play. Though, just 17 seconds later, Ethan Frank is wide open infront of the net to finish the pass from Ovechkin, 3-2.
Period 3:
Chychrun sends the puck over the glass and is called for delay of game. Just over 30 seconds in, Anthony Beauvillier is called for hooking, sending the Avalanche to 5-on-3 for the remaining 1:26. Unfortunately, just 23 seconds into the two-man advantage, Neslon is called for hooking, and all of the calls are killed off.
MacKinnon finds Makar cutting to the net, and he rips to make it 4-2, though the Capitals take a timeout and decide to challenge it for goaltender interference. After review, it goes to the Capitals' way, and the goal is overturned back to 3-2. Though the lead is re-gained quickly after MacKinnon steals the puck as a Capital is trying to leave their zone and feeds Artturi Lehkonen to make it 4-2 again. MacKinnon passes Peter Stastny on that goal in 2+ point games and is now 2nd in franchise history.
MACK TO LEHKY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ZHAorLbg0N
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 19, 2026
Necas steals the puck from Rasmus Sandin behind Charlie Lindgren and finds MacKinnon to make it 5-2. That is also MacKinnon's 1,100th point and the 70th player in NHL history to reach that mark. Lindgren, with less than 20 seconds left, makes a diving stick play that trips Olofsson and is called for it.
The Avalanche are back in action on Wednesday, Jan 21, when they face off against the Anaheim Ducks.
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