MacKinnon has four points as Avalanche beat Lightning 6-3

Colorado ended its two-game losing streak Friday, beating Tampa Bay 6-3 at Ball Arena behind four points from Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche forward scored once and assisted on three goals.

Martin Necas contributed a goal and two assists, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 31 shots. Colorado took a 3-0 lead through goals by Devon Toews and Nazem Kadri in the first period and Fedor Svechkov 24 seconds into the second. Kadri's goal, on the power play, was his first this season.

Jake Guentzel scored twice in the second period for Tampa Bay, with Artturi Lehkonen scoring for Colorado between those goals. Guentzel's second, at 19:17, left the Lightning trailing 4-2. Colorado challenged for a missed high-sticking stoppage, but the goal stood. The NHL said Nikita Kucherov had contacted the puck at 19:01 with his stick no higher than his shoulders. The failed challenge resulted in a two-minute delay-of-game penalty against the Avalanche.

MacKinnon scored at 4:18 of the third period to restore Colorado's three-goal advantage. Charle-Edouard D'Astous answered at 15:13 before Necas put the puck into an empty net at 17:19.

Guentzel finished with two goals and D'Astous had a goal and an assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves for Tampa Bay, whose three-game winning streak ended.