Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: second round, matchup 1

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it was paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL season … So Far is down to 32 entries from the original bracket of 64 with the first round now complete. Fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staffers will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the third round.

In the matchup on Friday, the final one of the first round, Flyers fans showing support for forward Oskar Lindblom, who was diagnosed with bone cancer, defeated the Washington Capitals' Mite of the Nite.

The matchup Saturday has the Colorado Avalanche scoring six goals in eight minutes on Nov. 7 going against Connor McDavid scoring six points in one game for the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 14.

Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor

McDavid's six-point game was arguably the best individual fantasy performance of the season, so it's tough to argue against that moment. But when the Colorado Avalanche scored nine goals, including a franchise-record six in an eight-minute span, against the Nashville Predators without two of their top three players (Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog) because of injuries, that was just as -- if not more -- impressive. Leon Draisaitl, McDavid's teammate, had five assists, making it the best performance by any scoring duo this season but also a shared spotlight. Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who did not play in the third period as a precaution after sustaining an upper-body injury, still had four points (one goal, three assists) in 14:28, which is also a ridiculous individual effort. Colorado's secondary scorers turned a 3-2 Nashville lead to an 8-2 Avalanche advantage in what seemed like a blink of an eye in the second period. Forward Joonas Donskoi, who scored twice in the eight minutes, had his first NHL hat trick and was one of eight Colorado players with multiple points. This was a microcosm of the 2019-20 season for the Avalanche, who dealt with a ton of injuries but remained one of the deepest, most explosive offenses and best overall teams in the NHL.

Dan Rosen, senior writer

I have to thank Pete here for helping to make my argument that McDavid's six-point performance against the Avalanche was more than just a terrific individual effort. As Pete said, it was a shared spotlight moment between McDavid with his four goals and two assists, and Draisaitl with his five assists. More importantly, it was a huge moment in the Oilers' season. I think it was a statement win, one of a few the Oilers had in the first two months, when they established themselves as a legitimate Stanley Cup Playoff contender. McDavid and Draisaitl led the way against Colorado, but don't forget that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored two goals, defenseman Oscar Klefbom had three assists, and goalie Mike Smith made 31 saves. And don't forget that this was the Oilers dominating a team that made the playoffs last season and is even better this season. Remember, Pete pointed out how the Avalanche are deep and explosive. The Oilers, led by McDavid's performance, crushed them two nights after losing 6-3 to the San Jose Sharks. It was proof that they were not going to let a bad loss linger this season, as they were prone to do in the past.