Artturi Lehkonen scores hattrick as Avalanche beats Utah in growing regional rivalry

SALT LAKE CITY — Geography says there’s potential for a rivalry to develop between the Colorado Avalanche and Utah HC. It’s still on the players and teams, not map locations, to build a proper one.

The Avs and their new Rocky Mountain neighbors got closer to making potential a reality Friday night. Artturi Lehkonen scored his first career hattrick, while Nathan MacKinnon had three points and his first fight in three seasons, as the Avalanche defeated Utah, 4-1, in a spirited affair Friday night at Delta Center.

“It was awesome,” MacKinnon said. “We always have good crowds on the road close to our city. There were a lot of Avs jerseys, which is always fun on the road. It was super loud when we scored. It was a fun atmosphere.”

Mackenzie Blackwood, who signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract earlier in the day, made 34 saves for the Avs in another quality start since arriving from San Jose in a trade 18 days ago.

Lehkonen scored his second goal with 5:14 remaining in the third period. He banged home the rebound of a Valeri Nichushkin shot for his 12th goal in 25 games, then added No. 13 into an empty net. MacKinnon’s three assists pushed his NHL-leading total to 60 points.

The Avs have now won four in a row and eight of the past 10 games, extending their best stretch of the season.

“Yeah, I think (it is coming),” MacKinnon said. “Especially when we get (Jonathan Drouin) back, because he’s such a dynamic part of our team. But that’s 22-12 since 0-4. Just pretty solid. (Jared Bednar) said before the game that we have the fourth-best record in the league since our start.

“The start still counts, but I like where we are at.”

Not only did MacKinnon help set up Colorado’s first three goals, he logged his first official fight since March 2022. The temperature on the ice was percolating during the first period, but it boiled over in the final seconds of the second.

MacKinnon played the puck from behind the Utah net to the left point before Barrett Hayton came over to hit him. The two centers engaged and quickly dropped the gloves for a brief bout. Seconds later after the horn to end the period, another larger scrum developed around the Utah net.

“This team, for whatever reason, when they were in Arizona and now this year, they’ve always played us hard,” Bedar said. “Their team is coming, lots of young, skilled players. It’s showing in the standings … they’re going to have to be reckoned with.

“I can see it growing as a rivalry, no question, because of the vicinity that we’re in, but more importantly for us, it just seems like they play us hard and we have to keep digging in order to win these games.”

It was MacKinnon’s first official fight since March 27, 2002, when he squared off with Minnesota’s Matthew Dumba. It’s the ninth fight of his career, per Hockey Fights, and the fourth against someone from this franchise — the first three coming against an Arizona player before the move.

This was Josh Manson’s first game since Nov. 29 because of a hand/wrist injury. He’s built a career on not being shy about the physical side of the game, and looked like he had some pent-up aggression to let out. He was an active combatant with an assortment of post-whistle activities, particularly with Utah forward Michael Carcone.

“I think it will (become a rivalry),” Manson said. “They’ve got some guys who like to agitate. I think it will develop in time. I think rivalries are kind of born in the playoffs, but it will take some time.”

Colorado scored first in the second period with a pretty build up. MacKinnon, normally a zone-entry machine, left the puck for Sam Malinski in the neutral zone. The second-year defenseman drove the puck deep into the Utah zone and left and found a way to get it back to MacKinnon as the trailer on the play. The reigning MVP snapped a perfect pass to Lehkonen near the left post for an easy one and a 1-0 lead.

Utah carried the play early in the third period and leveled the score, much to the delight of the white towel-waving home fans. With Mikko Rantanen and MacKinnon — the NHL’s two leading scorers entering the day — sitting next to each other in the penalty box after the former took a hooking penalty, Nick Schmaltz deflected a shot past Blackwood with Utah on the power play.

Still, Blackwood held off Utah’s third-period surge and won for the fourth time in five starts since joining the club.

“Crazy. He’s unreal,” MacKinnon said. “That’s all I can really say. He’s huge. I haven’t known him for a very long time, but he seems super, super committed. He’s playing unreal and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to stop.

“It’s nice to have goalies that are just big. Pucks just hit them, even when he doesn’t see them. I feel like his off nights are still going to be pretty good. So yeah, unreal.”

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