NHL Rink Wrap: Hat tricks all around; Avalanche, Hurricanes dominate

When the Colorado Avalanche are playing at their best they can embarrass you very quickly. The Winnipeg Jets found that out on Friday night. The Avalanche overcame a three-goal first period deficit by scoring six consecutive goals to roll to a 6-3 win to extend their lead in the Western Conference standings. Gabriel Landeskog led the way by scoring three goals on a game-high seven shots on goal. The Avalanche are now 34-5-3 in their past 42 games.

While Landeskog scored three goals, Nathan MacKinnon also scored two including this impressive goal off the rush.

It was a night of hat tricks around the NHL as Chicago Blackhawks teammates Patrick Kane and Brandon Hagel also scored three goals each in their 8-5 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Jordan Kyrou scored two goals for the St. Louis Blues on Friday night to reach the 20-goal mark.

Hurricanes slow down Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL in recent weeks, entering Friday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a 9-2-0 record over their past 11 games, including a four-game winning streak. That was no match for the Hurricanes who rolled to a 4-0 win that was not anywhere near as close as the final score indicated. Carolina outshot Columbus by a 50-19 margin. Columbus has definitely overachieved this season but it has also had a couple of really ugly performances, including an earlier game against Calgary where it allowed more than 60 shots on goal.

Kings jump over Golden Knights

Did you ever imagine this season that the Los Angeles Kings would be ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights in the standings at any point, let alone this late in the season? Well, it has happened. Thanks to the Kings’ 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on