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Be forewarned: Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche unlocked a new level on Monday night and it’s scary. Not only did the Avs open up the Arizona Coyotes like an otter heading to town on a clam, but MacKinnon made a statement at the end of the 7-1 blowout by ragdolling Arizona’s Christian Fischer in a fight.
The smash came after Lawson Crouse hit a spinning Cale Makar near the benches, drawing a multiplayer melee. Originally, MacKinnon took Fischer in a header and when the powerful Coyotes forward escaped he gave MacKinnon some misguided high-quality lumber.
“Fischer cross-checked the wrong guy in the face,” Colorado’s Matt Calvert said. “You saw what Nate did to him; he absolutely roughed it up. He probably could have thrown 10 punches and then knocked him out. You see Nate throwing offensive punches in every playoff and he could lead the league right now. They tried to reach for him and he’s just taller than them.
For the record, when Calvert postulated that his teammate could have eliminated Fischer, MacKinnon – who was sitting next to Calvert at the press conference table – said, “I don’t know. this… ”But it certainly seemed to be within the realm of possibility. Fischer isn’t a small fry either, weighing 6 feet 2 inches and 214 pounds. That wasn’t a problem for the six-foot, 200-pound MacKinnon, who threw down his opponent and actually showed pity when perched on him.
And as fun as it is to talk about feats of strength and brutality in the middle of a playoff series, MacKinnon was instrumental in ending Arizona’s night long before that. His patented speed drive to the Coyotes’ net in the first period put veteran Arizona D-man Jason Demers in a whirlwind and left the door open for Nazem Kadri to jump into the goal 3-0 ahead. Guardian Darcy Kuemper, who was made simply deadly. by the Avs and was eventually replaced by Antti Raanta.
Kuemper had been a problem for the Avalanche until this explosion.
“He was exceptional,” MacKinnon said. “He won them in the third game, for sure. We didn’t change anything (tonight), we just had a few bounces. We know we’re one of the best goal teams in the league this year, so we’re trying to stick with it. We are such a deep team that they were finally going to enter. “
So this is where we paint in broad strokes: Colorado proved something with this victory. The Avs face a brave Coyotes team who can really lock them down, but the barrage erupted in Game 4. The Avalanche entered the playoffs as one of the best contenders in the Western Conference and now they are gaining a lot of experience at Arizona expense, because fighting through defense is what helps to win championships. Locking down the opponent is also a big part and to that end Colorado limited Arizona to just three shots in the first period. By the time Makar went from start to finish for the Avalanche’s fifth goal at the start of the third, the game was already over.
Overall, this is an Avs team with so much going for it: speed, skill, size (embodied as a package by MacKinnon himself), and depth. This particular cohort hasn’t made a deep playoffs yet, but it’s really starting to look like what it could be the start of it. Lessons are learned, the machine begins to fire on all cylinders and the team freezes, Makar’s melee being a prime example. It was something that coach Jared Bednar loved 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,” said Bednar. “He was physical at the tip of the puck and away from the puck, checking hard and he got involved. I love to see our guys fight for each other at the right time and come together as a group. He’s one of our leaders and it just shows his character and leadership.
MacKinnon has already had a Hart Trophy-worthy season and now has the chance to extend his excellent play into the playoffs. And if he continues his bestial game, the Avs could well go to the end.
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