Avalanche Beat Kings 5-2, Extend Home Streak to 14

The Colorado Avalanche extended their dominance at home with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night at Ball Arena in Denver, continuing a remarkable season that has them atop the NHL standings.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his league-leading 32nd goal of the season into an empty net, while adding an assist, as the Avalanche improved to 28-7-2 with 65 points through 38 games, the second-fastest pace in league history behind only the 1929-30 Boston Bruins. The win marked Colorado's eighth consecutive victory overall and their 14th straight at Ball Arena, where they now hold a 15-0-2 record. Brock Nelson contributed a goal and an assist, and Cale Makar added a late tally to seal the outcome. For the Kings, who fell to 16-12-9 and have now lost seven of their last nine games, Corey Perry and Joel Armia scored in a bid to rally, but they could not overcome the Avalanche's surge.

The game began with a defensive tone, as Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside several early Kings shots to preserve a scoreless first period until Jack Drury struck midway through. At 9:24, Drury converted a deflection off a Los Angeles breakout pass from Drew Doughty, beating...