Sharks fall to streaking Colorado

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche looked unstoppable early and shaky down the stretch in nearly blowing a big lead.

Bottom line: The streak is alive.

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice during a 58-second span in the first period, Matt Nieto added a late insurance goal and the Avalanche won their eighth straight by holding off the Sharks 5-3 on Thursday night.

Carl Soderberg also scored, and Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists for the Avs, who’ve won eight in a row for the first time since the 2005-06 season. It’s tied for the third-longest streak in franchise history.

Even more, Colorado has not trailed during the stretch and has outscored teams by a 34-13 margin.

“We are earning what we get…