Thursday night’s high-powered showdown between the star-laden offenses of the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, featuring the league’s past two Hart Memorial Trophy winners, lived up to its billing.

It doesn’t matter if the Edmonton Oilers are 3-0 down, they’re the best darn team in the world. On Thursday, the Oilers played the second game of a back-to-back, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 after storming back from a serious deficit.

There have been a lot of Edmonton Oilers games over the years in which they’ve trailed 3-0 in the first period — 102, to be exact. Those games have rarely gone well for the team in the past, and understandably so.

With veteran defensemen Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon all missing with various ailments and newcomer David Jiricek making his Wild debut, the back end was sure to be at least part

Logan O’Connor put the Avs on the board first with his fifth of the season at 3:46 of the opening period. Josh Manson caught the Wild in the middle of a line change and turned a Minnesota clearing attempt into a pass to O’Connor behind the defense.

Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O'Connor each had a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche cruised to a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

With the Avs' goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Lehkonen scored his 16th goal of the season and tied the game from the right doorstep at 18:47 of the third period. That goal marked Colorado's league-leading ninth goal at six-on-five this season.

(AP) Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche rout the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night. Mikko Rantanan and Logan O'Connor also ...

Mikko Rantanan and Logan O'Connor also each had a goal and an ... who held Minnesota to 12 shots on goal in the first two periods. Avalanche: Colorado saw its 7-0-1 streak snapped in a loss ...

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson ... find that burst — especially in the third period.” Logan O’Connor put the Avs on the board first with his fifth of the season at 3:46 of ...

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in an NHL Western Conference clash at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday (Jan. 16) night. Viktor Arvidsson, Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers.