NEW YORK — This Colorado Avalanche team almost had a rare bit of genuine adversity to deal with, but Nathan MacKinnon remains a cheat code.

MacKinnon scored a beautiful overtime goal, his second of the game, to help the Avalanche fend off Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers. His league-leading 24th goal of the season gave the Avs a 3-2 win Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

Martin Necas assisted on all three goals. Shesterkin was immense, making 38 saves, but the Avs became the first NHL team to 20 wins this season (20-2-6).

“I’m glad that he got that one, for more reasons than not,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I just think he could have had five tonight. I thought Shesterkin robbed him on multiple occasions, and on that one he kind of waited him out and made a beautiful move after dancing around the zone for a while.

“Big goal for us, obviously, to get the team back on track after the other night."

MacKinnon, Necas and Cale Makar have been on the wrong end of all three overtime goals against for the Avs this season. They made some magic this time around.

Bednar did not put that trio out early in the overtime, opting for Artturi Lehkonen instead of Necas. When they were reunited on MacKinnon’s second shift, they were able to catch former Colorado College center Noah Laba and defenseman Will Borgen out on the ice for more than a minute.

MacKinnon deked past Borgen and then roofed a backhanded shot into the top-left corner before an emphatic celebration.

“The last time I cut back before the goal, I heard someone (from the bench) say they’re tired and that gave me a little confidence, I think, that I could try something and if I miss I could still get back because they’re gassed,” MacKinnon said. “Whoever it was, it might have been (Ross Colton), it was a good call by him.”

MacKinnon scored with 4:34 remaining in the third period to put Colorado in front. Necas shot the puck from near the left point, and MacKinnon was there at edge of the crease to bat the rebound out of the air and past Shesterkin to give the Avs a 2-1 lead.

It was his 23rd goal of the season looked like the game-winning tally, until it wasn’t. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner also leads the NHL with 48 points in 28 games. That’s a 140-point pace, which is how many he had in his MVP season.

“It’s not just off the rush. It’s not just on the power play, not just from one spot. It’s all over the place,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “He’s got strengths, just like anybody else, but when some things aren’t working he’s going to find different places to score. He proved that tonight.”

The Avs sustained their first multi-goal loss of the season Thursday night, a 6-3 defeat to the New York Islanders. Then, for the first time this season, the Avalanche allowed a 6-on-5 goal against.

Artemi Panarin’s one-timer from the left point with 40.9 seconds left evened the score and sent this contest to overtime. Colorado had two clearing attempts that nearly trickled into New York’s empty net, but both ended up as icings and helped the Rangers keep the pressure on.

There was an official review to see if Panarin had played the puck with a high stick earlier in the possession, but it was ruled a legal play and a good goal.

“Sometimes the first game of a roadie out East here can be tough. It was a tough loss,” MacKinnon said. “I thought (the Rangers) took it to us early, and then after that it was our game. So a good response.”

Parker Kelly put the Avalanche in front at 7:06 of the second period. Necas carried the puck into the offensive zone on the left side and circled behind the net before connecting with Sam Malinski at the right point.

Kelly was able to get a piece of Malinski’s point shot while on his knees, and it fluttered by Shesterkin for his sixth goal of the season.

Connor Sheary evened the score early in the third period with a slick individual effort. The Avs had a long shift in the offensive zone that created multiple scoring chances, but J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck combined to spring Sheary on a counter attack.

Sheary made a nifty move to find space against Necas and was able to maintain possession despite a Makar attempted stick lift before snapping a shot past Blackwood at 4:23 of the third.

The Avs aren’t getting a lot of power-play chances lately, and they’re doing even less with them. Not converting the opportunities has been a season-long issue, the one part of the machine that hasn’t been firing properly for large chunks of the campaign.

They had two opportunities in this game, and did create four shots on goal in the four minutes, but Colorado is now 3 for 31 in the past 11 games.

Colorado controlled this game at even strength for most of the afternoon. Shesterkin kept the Rangers within striking distance with several important saves.

In the end, the Avs bounced back from one of their worst games of the season with a strong effort.

“Often you get on a run, then you lose one and it snowballs to two, three, four before you pick yourselves up,” Bednar said. “We were able to do it tonight, especially in the areas that we wanted to be better.

“We competed hard. Decisions were better. We played a smart defensive hockey game. I’ll take that every day.”

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