Brock Nelson wasted little time reminding the league why Colorado invested in him, torching the Maple Leafs with a hat trick as the Avalanche opened a three-game road trip with a convincing 4–1 win over Toronto on Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. 

Nelson scored his 26th and 27th goals of the season as part of the three-goal performance, while Jack Drury also found the back of the net for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood rebounded from two subpar outings with a stellar showing, stopping 32 shots to anchor the victory. 

The 34-year-old Nelson, who was recently named to Team USA to represent his country at the Olympic Games in Italy, surpassed his goal total from last season with 30 games still remaining, further validating the Avalanche’s decision to sign him to a three-year, $22.5 million extension in the offseason. 

Max Domi scored Toronto’s lone goal, and although Joseph Woll delivered several strong sequences, he was tagged with the loss after making 33 saves. 

Gavin Brindley sprinted down the ice early and tried to set up Taylor Makar for a tap-in at the crease in hopes of securing his teammate’s first NHL goal, but Makar just missed the puck. 

At the other end, Martin Nečas broke up a prime scoring chance when Auston Matthews attempted a pass from behind the goal line into the slot for Matthew Knies Nečas tied him up effectively, causing Knies to fan on the shot. 

Nelson opened the scoring 6:18 into the game by intercepting a Toronto pass in the neutral zone, bursting into the offensive end, and snapping a wrist shot past Woll to give Colorado a 1–0 lead. The blast was so forceful it damaged the net camera. 

Just 1:12 later, Nelson struck again. Artturi Lehkonen worked the puck from behind the net and fed Nelson in the slot, where his shot banked off Woll’s numbers and in to make it 2–0. 

Lehkonen was later sent off for slashing John Tavares on the hands, giving the Avalanche their first penalty kill of the afternoon. The unit responded with a clean kill. Colorado then earned a power play after Simon Benoit was called for tripping, but failed to capitalize. 

Since the team meeting Jared Bednar held prior to the January 9 game against Ottawa in an effort to jump-start the power play, the Avalanche have converted just four of their last 26 opportunities. 

With 4:55 remaining, Nathan MacKinnon and Nečas broke into the zone on a 2-on-1 rush. Rather than pass, MacKinnon fired on goal and took a swipe at the rebound, but Woll was able to smother the puck. 

Moments later, Cale Makar nearly extended the lead before Toronto defenseman Brandon Carlo chased him down, grabbed his right arm, and prevented the chance—earning a holding penalty with just over four minutes left in the period. 

Colorado finally broke through again with 1:07 remaining. Parker Kelly stickhandled through center ice, elected not to dump the puck, and instead fed Drury, who snapped a shot from the left circle past Woll to make it a 3–0 game. 

The third period opened with a strong defensive play by Makar to deny a potential scoring chance. The Avalanche quickly transitioned the other way, where Nečas rang a shot off the iron. 

At the 8:03 mark, Josh Manson was called for high-sticking Matthew Knies behind his own net, giving Toronto its second power play. Colorado’s penalty kill stood tall again, completing its second kill on as many chances. 

After failing to convert on the man advantage, Toronto generated its best look in some time, but Carlo clanged a shot off the post. With 8:30 remaining in regulation, Colorado held a 34–24 edge in shots. 

Matias Maccelli later pounced on a loose puck with a wide-open net, but Blackwood reacted instantly, dropping into the splits to make a spectacular save and preserve the shutout bid. 

Toronto pulled Woll for the extra attacker with just under six minutes remaining. The Avalanche lived dangerously in their own zone, and Matthews narrowly missed wide as Blackwood went down into the butterfly. 

Despite leaving the net empty for more than two-and-a-half minutes, Toronto couldn’t cash in, while Nelson narrowly missed completing the hat trick on multiple empty-net chances. 

Finally, with 3:46 left, Nelson buried the insurance marker to complete the hat trick with the empty netter and silence the crowd. 

Zakhar Bardakov was later penalized for batting the puck with his glove off a faceoff, drawing a delay-of-game penalty. On the ensuing power play, Domi scored his seventh goal of the season to spoil the shutout. 

After going 4-4-2 over their last 10 games, it was certainly nice to see the Avalanche (35-6-9) get on the right track. And with a win or an overtime/shootout loss in their next game, Colorado will become the first NHL team to reach or eclipse 80 points this season. Their next matchup will take place Wednesday against Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators. Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. local time.