Denver – Let’s make this quickly: Nathan Mackinnon is fast. Every defender and goalkeeper around the competition are aware of his elite speed all too well.
Knowing that it is not easier to contain the hard-loading, fast-flying Colorado Avalanche forward.
The speed of Mackinnon on the ice has led to an accelerated pace through the record books. His next goal or assist will accompany him with Hall of Famers Joe Sakic and Peter Stastny as the only skaters in the franchise history that reach 1,000 points.
His next chance is Monday against Chicago in Ball Arena. If it doesn’t get there, the Avalanche is Tuesday in Minnesota in Xcel Energy Center. Puck Drop is set before 7 p.m. CDT.
The ruling NHL MVP also became the first player in the competition that reached 100 points this season.
“He keeps impressing me,” said Colorado coach Jared Bednar, whose team is 5-0 on a six-game homing area that will be closed against the Blackhawks on Monday. “He has grown much as a player, as a leader, his consistency, the way he is dangerous every time he touches the ice.
“It is a tough competition, and he still finds a way to get on the board every night and to have an impact on the attacking side, while he is a good defender and also grows his defensive match.”
Mackinnon is not someone who focuses on individual milestones. But he wants about team success. He loves the makeup of this new look Avalanche team, who has taken Charlie Coyle, Brock Nelson, Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and former teammate Erik Johnson in recent days.
“It’s great to get some veterans to be honest,” Mackinnon said on Saturday evening after a 7-4 victory over Toronto in which he had two goals. “They come in, they chat, they get to know everyone, they are not shy at all, they have been there and they are great players. … It’s a big change. It’s pretty cool how well we played.”
Mackinnon has also been proven a quick study. When the avalanche Mikko Rantanen sent to Carolina – Rantanen was later traded to Dallas – as part of a deal for Martin Necas on January 24, Mackinnon cleaned up the tendencies of his newest linemaat.
It has led to rapid chemistry with Necas, who has five goals and 11 assists more than 15 games since he joined the Avalanche.
“He is an elite player,” Necas said about Mackinnon. “So nice to look at him.”
Unless of course you are the opposition.
“If you don’t respect (his speed), he will burn through you,” said San Jose Rookie Macklin Celebrini, the best overall choice in 2024.
Celebrini studies Mackinnon’s game to pick up tips.
“Nate’s speed, it’s not really something that you can replicate a bit, how powerful he is and how strong he is,” said Celebrini. “But his habits and his routes and his tendencies you can look at and see if you can try to pursue a little bit, or what fits your game.”
This season Mackinnon has 27 goals and 73 assists to reach 100 points for a third consecutive season. The only other Avalanche/Nordiques player who completed such a streak was Stastny, who had six straight 100-point seasons from 1980-81 to 1985-86.
The top choice in 2013, Mackinnon, 29, is also in the abyss to become the first player in his concept class that reached 1,000 points (362 goals, 637 assists). The next closest to Florida Center Aleksander Barkov – the second overall choice – with 771 points.
Moreover, Mackinnon has at least achieved a point in 19 straight home competitions. It is the second longest home points of the season, with only Zach Werenski’s 22 game string from November 1 to February 22 for Columbus.
“We see it a bit every night, so we are almost used to it,” said teammate Jonathan Drouin. “Someone who looks at him once or every two weeks is probably like:” Oh, wow. ‘For us we are used to how he plays, and you expect that from him.
“We look back when we are all done playing, looking back on the years he had, and that is when you know how special he is.”
The Mackinnon drive is certainly contagious among teammates.
“You want to make sure you are good because he will be good every night,” said Avalanche -target defender Scott Wedwood. “He brings out the best in everyone, because he expects the best of himself. It is a lot better to have it by your side than being opposite him. “
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