MacKinnon Hits 50 First, but Avs' Defense is a Disaster in 8-6 Loss
Nathan MacKinnon became the first player in the entire NHL to light the lamp 50 times this season, but honestly, that might be the only thing worth celebrating out of Denver's midweek collapse. The Colorado Avalanche fell to Vancouver 8-6 on Wednesday night, and it wasn't pretty. MacKinnon's milestone came early in the first period when his shot from the top of the circle beat Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen. He slid on his right knee while pumping his fist, and for a second, it felt like the Avs might be rolling. Spoiler alert: they weren't.
A Rare Achievement in a Blowout Loss
Look, 50 goals is huge. MacKinnon is only the second time in his career hitting that mark, which puts him in some elite company. He's now the third player in Colorado and Quebec franchise history to reach the 50-goal milestone more than once, joining Hall of Famers Joe Sakic (twice) and Michel Goulet (four times). Even more rare, MacKinnon is only the second skater ever in franchise history to hit 50 first in an NHL season, alongside Milan Hejduk from 2002-03. That's generational stuff. But the Avs trailed 6-2 at one point and had to pull goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood because the defense was so bad.
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Coach Jared Bednar wasn't mincing words after the game. When asked what went wrong in the opening two periods, he said: "It's too long of list." He wasn't interested in participation trophies either. "If you want to hand out badges for good effort and stuff like that, I think we're beyond that at this time of year," Bednar said. "If we're making excuses for that performance, it's going to be a short run."
MacKinnon finished the night with 121 points, tied with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov for second in the league. Edmonton's Connor McDavid leads with 125. This is MacKinnon's fourth straight season with 110 or more points, which tells you everything about his elite consistency. But one dominant player can't win hockey games, especially when your defense is giving up 8 goals.
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