Entering the Western Conference Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche were the favorites to capture the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche have their backs against the wall after three games and two blown leads, sitting in a 3-0 hole and only one loss away from returning home for the summer.
Many things have hampered Colorado’s performance throughout the series. Defensive breakdowns, inconsistent goaltending, and underperformance from some of their top players have all come back to haunt Colorado in these three losses. However, injuries have also played a role. Star defenseman Cale Makar missed the first two games of the series with a shoulder ailment, and Nathan MacKinnon suffered a knee injury in Game 3.
MacKinnon was obviously hampered by the injury on Sunday night, raising concerns about his availability for Tuesday night’s Game 5. On Monday, head coach Jared Bednar discussed MacKinnon’s likely availability, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.
Lazerus wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “Jared Bednar claimed that even if all Nathan MacKinnon can do is play on the power play and in empty-net scenarios, he’d still choose that over anyone else. ” “It’s tough to imagine MacKinnon not trying to cut it out in Game 4. “
MacKinnon returned on Sunday night, but he mostly played on power plays and with the empty net. He was plainly not skating at top speed due to the ailment, and he lacked his typical explosiveness.
MacKinnon’s injury on the ice looked excruciating, with the star center taking a shot just beyond his knee. He lay down on the ice, eventually exiting the game before returning in the third period.
If the Avs are to come back in this series, they will need everything they can get from MacKinnon. The Knights have proven to be the superior team thus far, particularly late in games when the Avs’ energy wanes. Colorado has struggled to score goals late in games against the Knights, prompting them to need MacKinnon’s skill on the ice, even if his movement and skating are restricted.
