Mikko Rantanen scores go-ahead goal, Avalanche beat Sharks

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Mikko Rantanen scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 7:43 remaining, Pavel Francouz stopped 25 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Thursday night.

Andre Burakovsky, Darren Helm and Alex Newhook also added goals for the Avalanche, who earned victory No. 27 at Ball Arena this season. They’re one away from tying the franchise record for home victories set in 2000-01 and matched in 2017-18.

Timo Meier and Brent Burns had goals for a Sharks team that was on the second night of a back-to-back. Kaapo Kahkonen was solid in net, turning back 42 of 46 shots in his second game for San Jose after being acquired from Minnesota on March 21.

Colorado has beaten the Sharks at home seven times in a row.

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Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen, second from right, celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with J.T. Compher, center Nazem Kadri and defenseman Cale Makar, from left, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 31, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

"They’re a good team over there. They’ve got a lot of firepower," Meier said. "We’ve got to improve and bring more to beat a team like that."

Rantanen lined a shot just past the glove of Kahkonen to give Colorado a 3-2 lead. His score extended Colorado's power-play goal streak to nine straight games — the club's longest since 2003.

"(Mikko) got better as the game went along," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "He comes up clutch on a big power-play goal."

Rantanen's 34th goal of the season was set up on a pinpoint pass from Nazem Kadri, who had just returned to the ice after