Recap: MacKinnon hat trick destroys the Wild 5-2

It was quite a statement game in on national television.

It’s déjà vu from last week with the Minnesota Wild in town. The Colorado Avalanche had four remaining games to right the ship toward better play heading into the playoffs and met just the right opponent to do so in this 5-2 victory. Nathan MacKinnon had a statement game scoring his 50th goal of the season the midst of a highlight reel hat trick to let everyone know the Hart Trophy is ready for engraving.

The Game

After two early power plays to open the first period, the Avalanche finally cashed in on one at 4:34 as Artturi Lehkonen received a slick pass from Nathan MacKinnon. And the MVP hopeful was just getting started as he scored the game’s next goal on a highlight reel individual effort rush up the ice and finish at 8:38.

Then it was Minnesota’s turn to receive a power play in which they would score on after a scramble by Alexandar Georgiev and finish by Kirill Kaprizov at 10:41. The Wild would also receive another man advantage late in the period and scored on that one too with 12 seconds left in the period. This goal credited to Matt Boldy deflected off of an Avalanche player in the crease but it sailed by Georgiev to end the first period in a 2-2 tie.

For the second period the stars in burgundy and blue decided to show up and take over the game. Cale Makar got the party started at 6:15 on a shot he rifled from the blueline. MacKinnon picked up where the defenseman left off and completed a hat trick by the end of the period with two more jaw-droppingly gorgeous goals at 14:50 and 19:08 created on the rush. Nate was a man on a mission and likely the bright lights of national tv on ESPN might have added a little fuel to the fire. Can we say MVP?

There was still a game to finish and the Avalanche were up 5-2 to start the third period. Both teams hit the snooze button and tried to get this game to end as quick as possible. Absolutely nothing happened other than the Wild being officially eliminated from the playoffs as Colorado held the 9-5 shot advantage in the period and 32-22 overall to put this 5-2 victory in the books.

Takeaways

It was a night of milestones as Nathan MacKinnon on a near nightly basis continues to set career highs in points and goals. Tonight was no exception as the superstar forward hit the 50 goal mark for the first time and surpassed that total with his 51st. With the addition of tonight’s four points the 137 points he now has on the season is also two points away from the franchise mark set by Peter Stastny in 1982-82.

Cale Makar quietly has also eclipsed his career high in points, which was set in 2022. Now at 87 points and counting he will set the bar for seasons to come. And perhaps the best story on the season Jonathan Drouin also passed his previous highest point total of 53 up to now 56 points after three assists in this contest. With three more goals he could set a new high mark in goals, too.

As far as the team, there’s still work to be done after both the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets won tonight as well. This pretty much gives the Stars the Central division as they still hold a five point lead with three games to go. Now it is important to stay ahead of Winnipeg for home ice, who are only two points behind Colorado, which gives meaning to the next game on the horizon.

Upcoming

A few days off and then a big divisional game at home against the Winnipeg Jets at 2 p.m. MT on Saturday, April 13th.