Nathan MacKinnon is good for at least a handful of highlight-reel goals each season. His second tally in Thursday’s first period at Ball Arena was exactly that.

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.

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.

Evan Bouchard scored the winning goal late in the third period, capping the Edmonton Oilers' rally from a three-goal deficit to beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in Denver on Thursday night.

The Edmonton Oilers are in town for a Western Conference matchup as the Colorado Avalanche continue their five-game homestand. The Oilers will play their second game of a back-to-back tonight after taking a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild.

Connor McDavid will lead the Edmonton Oilers against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena, Denver in back-to-back games after playing the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

As the homestand continues, the Colorado Avalanche welcomed the Edmonton Oilers and the fans were hoping for some offensive fireworks on national TV. Goals by Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid fit the bill but after a fast start the Avalanche couldn’t find the back of the net again and fell 4-3 on a late third period Oilers goal.

Edmonton’s back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday should be a lesson for Oilers fans on social media. Rather than being impulsive and overreacting to every play or goal against, why not just wait until the game is officially over before you give your final take?

I’ll eat crow, the Avs have been awful since I said they were fine.

Wow, let’s all take a deep breath after that one. What a win by the gritty Edmonton Oilers! After falling behind 3-0 early, they showed outstanding resilience over the final 48 minutes.

The Colorado Avalanche came into Thursday night with a primetime matchup that everyone wanted to see. The Edmonton Oilers have all the star power in the world and are seeking to win their first Stanley Cup in the Connor McDavid era.