Having entered the All-Star break on a hot streak, the Colorado Avalanche feel they're rounding into form in time for another Stanley Cup run.

"I think we can win it again," said Nathan MacKinnon, per NHL.com's Tracey Myers.

After cruising to the Central Division title last season and posting a dominant 16-4 playoff record, the Avalanche have struggled to find the same consistency this campaign. Gabriel Landeskog, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, and Josh Manson have all missed significant time in 2022-23, but Colorado's recent surge has vaulted it into the second wild-card spot.

When the Avalanche are back at full strength, MacKinnon believes they'll be difficult to stop.

"I'll use it as an excuse, I guess, but when guys are hurt, it's like they were traded away for nothing, so we could use those guys back," MacKinnon said.

While the Avalanche are comfortable where they're at, they know winning another title will be more difficult than the last.

"There are a lot of good teams and a lot of hungry teams to win, and we know it's not easy," Mikko Rantanen said. "There aren't many teams that won back-to-back (championships). It's probably harder than it was last year, but we're ready for the task, and we still have a good team."

The Tampa Bay Lightning repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 2020 and 2021 before the Avalanche dethroned them last June. Before the Bolts did it, only two teams had gone back-to-back since 1997.

Colorado returns from its break Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has been busy.

Washington re-signed forward Sonny Milano to a three-year deal with an average annual value of $1.9 million, the team announced Saturday after the All-Star Game.

Milano has eight goals and 14 assists in 40 contests while averaging 13:30 of ice time per game as a Capital.

The 26-year-old hit the open market last summer after the Anaheim Ducks opted not to give him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. Milano enjoyed a career season with the Ducks in 2021-22, chipping in with 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games. He also memorably buried Trevor Zegras' stunning alley-oop assist that went viral in December 2021.

The Calgary Flames then picked him up on a professional tryout in September but ultimately cut him a couple weeks later.

Ten days later, Washington signed him to a one-year, $750,000 pact as an unrestricted free agent, and he made his Capitals debut on Nov. 5.

The Columbus Blue Jackets' 16th overall pick in 2014, Milano has 103 points in 237 career NHL games.

The Capitals also inked pending restricted free agent Dylan Strome to a five-year, $25-million pact on Friday.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored a hat trick as the Atlantic Division topped the Central Division 7-5 on Saturday in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game final.

It's the first time the Atlantic Division has won it all since the NHL moved to the divisional format in 2016.

Larkin also tallied a pair of goals and an assist in the Atlantic's semifinal matchup against the Metropolitan Division, giving him six points overall.

But it was Matthew Tkachuk of the hometown Florida Panthers who was named MVP after his seven-point day.

Toronto Maple Leafs playmaker Mitch Marner chipped in with three assists in the final, while Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov also contributed to the Atlantic's victory with a goal and an assist. Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark was excellent in the final, stopping all six shots he faced in the first half before giving way to Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Atlantic Division boasts three of the top five teams in the NHL by points percentage, with the Bruins (first), Lightning (fourth), and Maple Leafs (fifth).

The 11 members of the Atlantic Division roster split $1 million in winnings for their triumph.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthew Tkachuk was named MVP of the 2023 NHL All-Star Game after erupting for four goals and three assists during Saturday's festivities.

The Florida Panthers star put on a show for the home crowd, leading the Atlantic Division to the title. In the first clash against the Metropolitan Division, Tkachuk became the first player since Nikita Kucherov in 2018 to score a hat trick while representing the host city.

Tkachuk factored in on two of the Atlantic's seven goals in the final against the Central. He scored the opening tally just 37 seconds into the contest.

The talented agitator was involved in the biggest move of the offseason last summer. Shortly after informing the Calgary Flames that he didn't intend to sign with them long-term, Tkachuk (alongside a 2025 conditional fourth-round pick) was shipped to the Panthers in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a conditional 2025 first-round selection.

Though the Panthers currently find themselves outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, Tkachuk has fit in just fine in Florida. The 25-year-old leads the team with 66 points (25 goals, 41 assists) in 49 games.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthew Tkachuk notched a hat trick and added a pair of assists to lead the Atlantic Division to a 10-6 victory over the Metropolitan Division in the second NHL All-Star semifinal Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Nathan MacKinnon and Clayton Keller both chipped in two goals to help the Central Division edge the Pacific 6-4 in the first semifinal.

The Central held a 5-2 lead late in the final period, but Elias Pettersson and Erik Karlsson both scored to cut the deficit to one. Keller ultimately put the game out of reach with a dagger to book the Central's ticket to the final.

Vladimir Tarasenko led all skaters with a four-point performance, while Keller and Seth Jones each put up three-point efforts.

The Pacific Division had a step on the Central early on in the contest, and Connor Hellebuyck had to stand tall with a breakaway stop on Bo Horvat.

However, MacKinnon would break the ice just over three minutes in with his first-ever All-Star Game goal. Connor McDavid scored for the Pacific just 33 seconds later, but the Central held a 3-2 edge heading into the intermission.

Keller bookended the final frame, scoring 18 seconds into the period and then with 1:53 remaining in the matchup.

Pettersson was the Pacific's top performer with two tallies. He had another goal overturned following an offside review.

Juuse Saros was tremendous after he came in for the second period, making 11 saves on 13 shots to help lift the Central to victory.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is headed to Toronto for the 2024 All-Star Game, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Saturday ahead of this year's edition in Florida.

"We are thrilled to bring the Honda NHL All-Star Game back to Toronto for the ninth time and to shine a spotlight on our current stars in a setting that evokes over a century of league history," Bettman said.

"Toronto fans are among the most knowledgeable and passionate in our game, and the city's rich hockey history dates back to the creation of the sport. What better place to play host to our annual midseason celebration of the best and brightest in the NHL?"

All-Star Weekend will take place Feb 2-3, 2024. Toronto last hosted the event in 2000, when the format featured a clash between North American and World All-Stars.

The NHL hasn't staged an All-Star event in Canada since Ottawa hosted the festivities in 2012.

"I think the city is going to be loving this," said Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "Seeing how the NBA All-Star Game (in 2016) was, I think the NHL one will be even bigger."

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.