Be forewarned: Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche unlock a new level Monday night and it’s scary. Not only did the Avs open the Arizona Coyotes like an otter going to the city after a clam, but MacKinnon made a statement late in the 7-1 blowout by Christian Fischer of Arizona in a fight.
The fracks came after Lawson Crouse hit a spinning Cale Makar at the benches, drawing a scrum of multiple players. MacKinnon originally got Fischer in a header and when the Coyotes escaped power ahead, he gave MacKinnon some simply advised high timber.
“Fischer Cross checked the wrong man in the face,” said Matt Calvert of Colorado. ‘You saw what Nate did to him; he treated him absolutely. He could have probably thrown 10 punches and then cut him out. You see Nate offensive hits throw all series and he can lead the league right now in you. They tried to get to him and he’s just bigger than them. “
For the record, when Calvert stated that his teammate Fischer could have slept, MacKinnon – who was sitting next to Calvert at the press conference table – said I do not know about dat… ‘But it certainly seemed to be within the realm of possibility. Fischer is also no small fry, coming in at 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds. That was no problem for the six-foot, 200-pound MacKinnon, who ran his opponent and threw indeed showed mercy once sitting on top of him.
And as fun as it is to talk about feats of power and brutality in the middle of a playoff series, MacKinnon helped end the night of Arizona for that. His patented speed drive to the Coyotes net in the first period put veteran Arizona D-man Jason Demers in a spin and left the door open for Nazem Kadri to pop in the 3-0 goal for no less Darcy Kuemper, who ‘ t only mortal was done by the Avs and was eventually replaced by Antti Raanta.
Kuemper had been a problem for the Avalanche until this eruption.
“He’s been great,” MacKinnon said. ‘He won them Game 3, sure. We have not changed anything (last night), we have just some bounces. We know we’re one of the top scoring teams in the league this year, so we try to stay there. We are such a deep team that it would eventually go into action. ”
So this is where we paint with broad strokes: Colorado proved something with this victory. The Avs stand for a plucky Coyotes squad that can really secure it, but the queen bursts in Game 4. The Avalanche came into the playoffs as one of the top candidates in the Western Conference and now they are getting a great experience at the expense of Arizona, because fighting through defense is what helps win championships. Shooting the opponent is also a big part and for that purpose Colorado limited Arizona to just three shots in the first period. By the time Makar went end-to-end for the fifth Avalanche goal early in the third, the game was already over.
After all, this is an Avs team that has so much going for it: speed, skill, size (pictured as a package by MacKinnon itself) and depth. This particular cohort has yet to make a deep playoff run, but it’s really starting to look like this could be the beginning of that. Lessons are learned, the machine starts firing on all cylinders and the team applies, with the Makar scrum a perfect example. It was something coach Jared Bednar liked about all the skaters who were there at the time, including MacKinnon.
“I loved his fire and the passion he played with all the series,” Bednar said. ‘He’s been physically on the point of the puck and away from the puck, hiccuping hard and he gets involved. I love watching our boys play for each other at the right times and get together as a group. He is one of our leaders and that is exactly what his character and his leadership did. “
MacKinnon has already had a Hart Trophy-worthy season and now he has the chance to extend his excellent play far into the playoffs. And if he stops his beastly play, the Avs might just go all the way.
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