MacKinnon’s OT goal gives Avalanche 4-3 win over Red Wings

DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored 2:29 into overtime and also had an assist to help the Colorado Avalanche rally past the skidding Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Tuesday night.

MacKinnon’s 34th goal of the season gave Colorado two valuable points in the Western Conference wild-card chase. The Avalanche kept pace with Dallas and gained a point on Minnesota, which lost in a shootout at Nashville.

Colorado trails Dallas by three points and Minnesota by two. The Avalanche and Wild each have 15 games left, while the Stars have 16 remaining.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists for Colorado, and Tyson Barrie tied it late in the third period. He also had an assist.

The Red Wings have lost eight straight, three in overtime, but appeared poised to win when Filip Zadina put them ahead again with his first NHL goal at 17:43 of the third. Barrie scored on a drive from the point 42 seconds later with goalie Semyon Varlamov off for an extra skater.

Niklas Kronwall and Danny DeKeyser also scored for Detroit, and Jonathan Bernier made 30 saves.

Detroit went up 2-1 early in the third when DeKeyser scored his fourth of the season at 2:22. It stayed that way until Rantanen’s goal on Colorado’s third power play tied it at 8:30. It was his 29th of the season.

The Red Wings were outshot 5-0 for the first 6:28 but got the first goal of the night when Kronwall’s shot from the point hit off Colorado center Sheldon Dries and went through Varlamov’s legs at 16:47 of the first period.

J.T. Compher got the Avalanche even when his shot from the slot beat Bernier high at 1:44 of the second. The goal came 26 seconds after Detroit killed off a minor penalty.

NOTES: Varlamov made 20 saves. … There was a moment of silence before the national anthem to honor Red Wings great Ted Lindsay, who died Monday at age 93. … Three Avalanche players have connections to the state of Michigan. Ian Cole is from Ann Arbor, Dries is from Macomb Township and Compher played for the University of Michigan. … Kronwall’s goal was his third of the season and first since Dec. 20 at Carolina.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Avalanche: At the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.