Nathan MacKinnon just turned his monster season into hardware, picking up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal-scorer after a career year for the Colorado Avalanche. The superstar center finished the regular season with 53 goals and 127 points, his scoring binge powering Colorado to the league’s best record. The Avs now roll into the playoffs with home ice and serious swagger, opening their first-round series at Ball Arena on Sunday, with MacKinnon’s red-hot stick front and center in Denver’s offensive game plan.
As reported by The Denver Post, MacKinnon’s league-leading 53 goals locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and made him only the second player in Avalanche history to claim it, joining Milan Hejduk from the 2002–03 season. The Post also noted that Colorado outscored opponents 100–42 at 5-on-5 and 126–59 at even strength with MacKinnon on the ice, a reminder that his value shows up in a lot more than just the goal column.
Numbers That Back The Trophy
The stats back up the eye test. According to the NHL leaderboard at ESPN, MacKinnon finished the regular season as the league’s goals leader with 53 and piled up 127 points, while Montreal sniper Cole Caufield made a late push and closed at 51 goals. Per ESPN, those totals kept MacKinnon on top of the goal-scoring race and firmly planted him among the NHL’s elite point producers as the season wrapped.
What It Means For Denver
The timing could not be better for Colorado. The Avalanche locked up the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team, according to NHL.com, and will open the first round at Ball Arena on Sunday, The Denver Post reports. Captain Gabe Landeskog captured the mood in Denver when he told The Washington Post, “We’re spoiled getting to see him on an everyday basis.” With the postseason about to start, MacKinnon’s scoring touch is the one thing both Avalanche fans and nervous opponents will be tracking shift by shift as Colorado chases the Stanley Cup.
