What an incredible bounceback for the Avalanche. They needed Casey Mittelstadt to get things figured out and he did. His linemates were a big reason why.

It was a historic performance for the Colorado Avalanche as they moved into a tie for third place in the Central Division with Dallas.

With Mikko camped out to his right midway through the second stanza, Makar beat DeSmith glove-side with a wrister from the blue line for his 100th career goal, slaying the Avs’ power-play dragon and becoming the fastest active defenseman in the NHL to hit the century mark as a pro.

The Avalanche passed the first of three straight tests against top Central Division teams and had a great Saturday all around. J.T. Miller almost didn’t play because of a potential trade but ended up dressing in a game that saw two players get ejected late.

The Colorado Avalanche (27-18-1) continue their homestand against the Dallas Stars (28-15-1) in the first of two straight matinee games. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:08 p.m. MT. READ MORE: Rantanen Extension Talks Could Pick Up Over 4 Nations Break Today’s matinee begins arguably the most important three-game stretch of the season thus far.