The Colorado Avalanche are on a roll of late, winning three of their past four games, including Sunday afternoon's 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Here are three key takeaways from Sunday's win: The Hockey News' podcast, the Cheat Sheet, discusses the likelihood of Nathan MacKinnon winning the Art Ross trophy without Mikko Rantanen on his wing. 1. Avs' defense clamps down for second straight game, Blackwood posts second straight shutout The Avalanche came into Sunday's tilt feeling great about their defensive game, having shut out the St. Louis Blues by a 5-0 score Friday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/three-takeaways-from-avalanches-dominant-romp-over-central-division-rival-]. And the defense once again came through against the Flyers, as the Avs limited Philadelphia to only 24 shots on net, including only 14 shots in the final two period. Meanwhile Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood posted his second straight shutout, and third shutout of the season. He's been totally dialed-in, and with every game that passes, he's been one of the best trades any team has made this season. The Avalanche may not be the NHL's best defensive team, but at the moment, they're limiting quality chances on Blackwood, and letting their offense do enough to earn them the 'W'. 2. Drouin continues hot streak as Avalanche turn on the jets in crucial second period Avs' winger Jonathan Drouin had a three-point game in the win over the Blues, and against the Flyers, he posted a pair of assists to lead all Colorado point-getters as the Avalanche got both of their goals in the second period and they outshot Philadelphia 18-7 in the middle frame. Drouin now has 16 assists and 24 points this season, and while he's not going to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point-getter, Drouin is chipping in on offense, and the Avs will gladly take what he's bringing to the table right now. 3. MacKinnon, Necas lead way with more than 24 minutes and four shots apiece Most nights in the NHL, you need your best players to be your best players, and on Sunday, the Avalanche got solid performances from stars Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. MacKinnon scored Colorado's second goal of the game (and his 20th of the season) on four shots, while playing 24:27 of ice time. Necas also had four shots in this game, and although he didn't get on the scoresheet, Necas lead all Avs forwards in ice time with 24:51, and Colorado coach Jared Bednar clearly trusts Necas as if he'd been coaching him for 10 years, There are games where other Avalanche players will have to step up and be differnce-makers, but more often than not, teams need to lean on their stars, and you can easily see where MacKinnon and Necas are going to be the key drivers of this Avs squad for a very long time. The acclimation period for Necas looks to be a short one, and that's music to Avalanche fans' ears.
