Colorado joined the 4-team club in NHL history with a crazy 20 game start

The Colorado Avalanche had a convincing 6-3 victory against the New York Rangers on Thursday night. The win improved Colorado’s record to 14-1-5, bringing their point total to 33 through 20 games.

Not only that, but their strong run set them up in rare companyas they became one of only four teams to record one regular season loss or less in their first 20 games, joining the Montreal Canadiens (1927–28), Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) and Chicago Blackhawks (2012–13), Chicago being the only team to go undefeated in the regular season.

The Avalanche entered Thursday’s game on a seven-game winning streak and a four-game homestand. They have collected points in 19 of their first 20 games and are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games. No other team in the NHL has been able to match their scoring pace, and the Carolina Hurricanes are 28 points behind in the Eastern Conference.

The superstar duo from Colorado once again led the offense. Nathan McKinnon and Cale Makar each had two goals and an assist. McKinnon’s performance moved him ahead of Peter Stastny for second place on the all-time scoring list with 1,051 points, trailing only Joe Sakic (1,641 points). Makarov’s late goal in the second period and an empty-netter in the third completed the blistering tally, while MacKinnon’s backhand jumper in the third period broke the tie after the Rangers tied it at 3-3.

The supporting contributions were equally influential. Brock Nelson added a goal and an assist, while Martin Necas had three assists, extending his season-opening streak to 10 games. Rookie goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 16 saves and earned his first NHL point with an assist on Nelson’s third-period goal. Ross Colton finished off the scoring with an empty net goal late in the contest.

Rangers, meanwhile, were unable to keep up. JT Miller scored twice on the power play and Adam Edstrom recorded his first goal of the season, but New York has now dropped three straight and finished the night 10-10-2. Igor Šesterkin stopped 29 shots in the losing effort, while Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox contributed two assists each.

The Avalanche next travel on Saturday against the Nashville Predators.