Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon picked up his second four-goal night of the season on Wednesday, another feather in the cap of his Hart Trophy case.
MacKinnon's dominant display came in vintage fashion, with the Avalanche flashing their world-class top level talent to roll past the Washington Capitals.
The first two goals for the Nova Scotia native came in nearly identical fashion on the power play, as defenseman Cale Makar and winger Mikko Rantanen worked passes to each other to lull the defense to sleep before hitting seam passes to a wide-open MacKinnon, who blasted a pair of one-timers home to make it 2-0 and 3-0.
The third goal of the night for MacKinnon came on a two-on-one with Rantanen, who dished the puck over to MacKinnon, who promptly carried the puck to the goal mouth before deking and roofing a backhander to make it 4-0.
MacKinnon added one more for good measure in the third on a snipe off the bar for his fourth of the night and 30th of the season, becoming the fifth player this year to hit the 30-goal mark.
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Is this Nathan MacKinnon's Most Dominant Season Yet?
The 2013 first overall pick broke out as a rookie before finally breaking through as a top-of-the-line super star in the 2017-2018 season.
His point totals since then go 97, 99, 93, 65 (in just 48 games), 88, and 111 last season.
Last year's career high is in serious danger this year, as Wednesday night's effort gave him 82 points in just his 48th game of the season. That's a 141-point pace over a full 82 game season.
While he sits fifth in the league in goals, he leads the league in assists and is second in points, just one behind Tampa Bay winger Nikita Kucherov.
MacKinnon and Kucherov both make for great MVP candidates, but what MacKinnon is doing this season to lead his Colorado team should position him as the favorite.
Why MacKinnon's Dominance Matters More This Year
When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in the 2021-2022 season, their roster was absolutely loaded from top to bottom. There was no weak point on the roster, and their super stars were asked to lead the team rather than drag it through the playoffs.
Two years later, the salary cap crunch has forced the Avalanche to shed much of their superior depth talent and lean heavily on MacKinnon, Rantanen, Makar, and his running mate on defense Devon Toews to be at the top of their games every night to pick up wins.
In fact, MacKinnon has scored or assisted on 44.8 percent of Colorado's goals, and despite their lack of depth, the Avalanche still lead the league in scoring.
Edmonton's Connor McDavid may be the most talented player in the league, but MacKinnon's one-of-a-kind skill set is right there with him.
The outrageous burst, the quick cuts, and the hands to finish the chances in close that his skating ability generates for him are unlike anything we've seen, to say nothing of his ability to distribute the puck and shoot it from longer distances with laser-like precision.
If Kucherov can get Tampa Bay into the playoffs, he will be a worthy MVP candidate, but barring an absurd late push from someone else, it should be MacKinnon's to lose at this point.
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