The Colorado Avalanche: News from around the NHL - January 6th, 2014

The Calgary Herald has a preview of the game, and they list MacKinnon as one of the things to watch.

2. MACKINNON MAGIC — A lot of eyebrows were raised when the Avs decided to bypass towering Portland defenceman Seth Jones and instead used the No. 1 overall pick on Halifax Mooseheads’ sparkplug Nathan MacKinnon last summer. Well, those arched eyebrows are back at regular levels. On Saturday in a statement win over a mighty fine San Jose Sharks’ club, the 18-year-old MacKinnon became the youngest player in Avalanche history to score two goals in a game. In doing so, he passed the injured Tomas Hertl of the Sharks for the NHL rookie scoring lead (12G, 26pts) and seems to be hitting his formidable stride. “Pucks) are starting to go in a little more than they did at the beginning of the year, which is nice,” MacKinnon told the Denver Post. “I’m a little bit more relaxed. Hopefully, it continues. It’s night and day since the beginning of the year; I feel a lot more comfortable out there.”

Myers may get suspended.

The big Buffalo Sabres defenceman will have a phone hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety Monday for a hit on New Jersey Devils forward Dainius Zubrus.

During the third period Saturday in Buffalo, Myers jarred Zubrus with a hit to the head that left the 35-year-old dazed on the ice.

Myers received a two-minute minor for an illegal hit to the head.

PK Subban says he thinks a ref has a vendetta against him.

After his club’s overtime loss Saturday night, Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban was left wondering if a game-changing penalty against him late in the third period was motivated by the ref’s personal feelings toward him.

“I think I’ve always been pretty positive with my reaction to (refereeing) and respecting the game and respecting decisions that have made,” Subban told reporters. “It’s not too many times after a game I catch myself laughing after we lose, because with 18 seconds left I'd like to get an explanation of what I did wrong there. I thought Carey (Price) had the puck there, I thought the play was over.

“It just didn’t really make sense to me. Other than that it seems like it’s personal to me. It has nothing to do with the game. Based on the standard of penalties, I don't see a penalty there at all.”