Ross Colton has been a difference maker over the past six games for the Avalanche.

Now they’re looking to bottle that and keep it going for another month.

The 29-year-old Colton was one of Colorado’s better forwards during their 4-2 Game 1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena Wednesday. He hit everything that moved, parked himself in front of the net and generated good opportunities for his line, including an assist on a Valeri Nichushkin goal.

The Avalanche will look to even the series with the Golden Knights at 6 p.m. Friday in Game 2.

No forward on the Avalanche finished the night with a better expected goals-for percentage than Colton’s 84.02%. That’s the Colton the Avalanche have seen the last few weeks and the one they wanted to see most of the season.

There’s just one problem. His second-period penalty proved to be costly. Vegas, already up 1-0, doubled its lead with Colton in the box. The call itself was questionable, to say the least.

Those same referees allowed Nazem Kadri to eat a Brayden McNabb punch to the face at the end of the first period right in front of them without a call. Thirty minutes later, they called Colton for something similar, with the ref who penalized Colton standing about 60 feet away from the incident.

That inconsistency must be maddening from the point of view of a player — not to mention the Oscar-worthy acting job from Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson that sold the penalty.

Here’s the thing, though: Colton must play that way. He must be a pain in the you-know-what to the opponent. When he’s at his best, he’s playing on the edge. Sure, you can’t take penalties consistently, because that will eventually get you in the dog house. But it hasn’t been an issue to date. He’s played with that edge since re-entering the lineup and that’s how he must continue to play if the Avalanche want to keep this train rolling for another month.

And it doesn’t sound like his coach wants him to change due to that penalty.

“Actually, (I) just talked to him the other day before Game 1,” Jared Bednar said on Thursday. “There’s a ferociousness to the way that he’s playing right now. He’s physical, he’s hard and I think the urgency in his game on both sides of the puck is there. He’s skating pretty well, so he’s making some plays and trying to be a difference maker every shift. He’s got good consistency to his game right now.”

The line of Nichushkin, Colton and Nazem Kadri was likely Colorado’s most consistent from start to finish during Game 1. They were separated in the third period as the Avalanche shortened the bench in their comeback attempt and it sounds like there’s a chance the lines from the third may stick for Game 2. If not, the Avalanche may have found something with that trio.

“It’s been great,” Kadri said of that group. “I think that’s the positive with our group. I think you know everybody’s kind of interchangeable and has that chemistry, but us, in particular, I think we had a real good night. Probably should have had a couple more goals, and we’ll certainly look to continue that.”