DENVER — The Rangers had gotten off to an unbelievably hot start in their road games, but it was never likely that they would be able to keep it up all season. Given the quality of opponents they were facing on this road trip, there was always the chance that they might start to cool off.
On Thursday night, they visited the red-hot Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers hung in gamely but ultimately had no answer for the Avalanche’s two biggest stars, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
J.T. Miller had two power-play goals for the Rangers, but Makar and MacKinnon each scored twice for the Avalanche, who accounted for the game’s final three goals and dealt the Rangers their third straight loss, 6-3.
Former Islander Brock Nelson’s power-play goal at 2:36 of the third period gave NHL-leading Colorado (14-1-5, seven wins in a row) a 3-2 lead, but Miller’s second power-play goal tied it at 10:18.
The Rangers barely had finished celebrating when Makar’s shot hit the post and MacKinnon beat Braden Schneider to the rebound and put it past Igor Shesterkin to restore the Avalanche lead at 10:48.
Makar added his second goal into an empty net with 1:25 to play. Ross Colton also scored into an empty net with 13 seconds left.
Colorado has outscored the opposition 84-50.
The Rangers (10-10-2) got off to a 9-1-1 start on the road before losing their last two. They are 1-7-1 at home.
“That’s probably — it’s definitely the best team that we’ve played all year, and they might be the best team in the league right now with how explosive they are. I think there’s just critical moments in the games where we’ve just got to do a better job managing [the puck].”
He added: “We got a huge power-play goal to tie it up in the third period and then the next shift we give one up. That’s what I’m talking about: Those are the moments in the game where we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got a heightened level of intensity and a heightened level of awareness.”
Two days after Miller acknowledged he hasn’t produced enough offensively, Sullivan tweaked his top two lines, splitting up Miller and Mika Zibanejad. He moved Miller to the right side of the Artemi Panarin-Vincent Trocheck line and put Alexis Lafreniere on the right side of Zibanejad and Will Cuylle.
“We’re trying to find some combinations . . . that give us a more consistent threat offensively,’’ Sullivan said at the morning skate. “And although I think Troch’s line has driven a lot of offense, I feel like Mika and J.T., in the last handful of games, haven’t been as effective offensively. And so sometimes, to effect a little bit of change from a personnel standpoint, can help those guys capture their best games.’’
The line tweaks didn’t have anything to do with Miller scoring the game’s first goal at 2:26 of the first period. It came on a power play and was assisted by Zibanejad. Zibanejad, set up in the left circle, was loaded up for a one-time shot attempt but spotted Miller uncovered at the back post and sent a pass to him for an easy redirect past goalie Scott Wedgewood.
The Avalanche tied it in the final minute of the period when Martin Necas’ shot from above the left circle deflected off Vladimir Gavrikov’s skate and went to MacKinnon, who tapped it in with 26.2 seconds left in the period for his 15th goal. It moved him past Peter Stastny into second place on the Quebec Nordiques/Avalanche all-time scorers list.
Adam Edstrom, back in the lineup after sitting out Tuesday’s game in Vegas, gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead when he drove the middle and redirected Sam Carrick’s pass behind Wedgewood for his first goal of the season at 3:58 of the second. But Makar re-tied it when he scored a brilliant wraparound goal, going around the right post and banking a shot off Shesterkin’s skate and in at 17:15.
“Overall, not up to the level I know we’re capable of,” Zibanejad said. “Give them credit, but I think we could have been better today. I feel like we could have maybe had one or two more power plays, but just got to do a better job staying out of the box, obviously.”
Notes & quotes: D Will Borgen, who has been bothered by an upper-body injury, did not dress. He was replaced in the lineup by rookie Scott Morrow. “Right now, he’s day-to-day,’’ Sullivan said. “We’re going to manage it accordingly . . . We want him to get over the hump, so to speak, with respect to it.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.