On Saturday, the Colorado Avalanche squared off against the Nashville Predators, and took a 1-0 win to Chicago, where they also pulled off a win. Nathan MacKinnon was part of the game against Nashville, but the 3-0 victory was a lot less interesting/exciting than the score makes it seem.
The first goal was scored by defenseman Brent Burns just 15 seconds into action. It remained a 1-0 game until the Predators pulled their goaltender. Thankfully, the Avalanche played so well despite the Preds having an extra man on the ice, as they were able to score two empty-net goals to close out the game.
It was a little bit concerning that the Avalanche were not successful at scoring more than one goal where Juuse Saros was blocking the net, but as they say, you take the victories where you can get them. Not every game has been flashy and not every game will be flashy. That has been pretty clear for the Avalanche.
It was the first of a back-to-back for the Avalanche, but let me tell you: It felt like it was the second half of one.
Nathan MacKinnon avoided something very rare vs the Predators on Saturday
Let’s be honest though: We are nitpicking when it comes to the “boring” wins. Wins are wins. You take them anytime you can. If every star player had a great game 82 times a year, records would for sure be broken. That’s just not how it works, though.
On Saturday, MacKinnon went nearly the entire game without recording a single shot on goal. His empty-net goal changed that, which was nice to see, even if it was close to never even happening.
The Avalanche were still going to win the game, as Nashville failed to record a goal on 35 shots attempts. Other than the first goal of the game, it felt like a very slow-paced game. Were the Predators going to find a way to sneak a goal past Mackenzie Blackwood? Nope, that didn’t happen, but it could have.
MacKinnon has played in 892 career regular season games. Of that total, he has failed to record a single shot in 25 of them. To put that into perspective, MacKinnon has failed to record a shot in 2.8 percent of the games that he has played in. That is absolutely remarkable.
The Colorado Avalanche have a poor record when Nathan MacKinnon is held without a shot…
In the 25 games where MacKinnon failed to record a single shot, the Avalanche are a measily 9-16.
His first set of shot-less games occurred in the 2013-14 season, when it happened four times. Those games were against the Predators, Stars, Blues, and Jets. The Avs lost all four of those games.
In the 2014-15 season, MacKinnon’s games without a shot on goal went to three games, though the team won two of those matchups. All three games were against division opponents: the Wild, Blackhawks, and Stars.
In the 2015-16 season came another three games. Colorado lost all three of those games, to the Penguins, Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks.
In the 2016-17 season, MacKinnon failed to record a goal in six games: Against the Lightning, Predators, Stars, Sabres, Kings, and Jets. They went 1-5 in those games, their only win coming against the Lightning, 4-0.
In 2017-18, only once did MacKinnon fail to record a shot. It was a 3-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks. Jump all the way to the 2021-22 season to find MacKinnon’s next shot-less game, against the San Jose Sharks. Colorado won 3-0.
In the 2021-22 season, the Avs’ Stanley Cup season, MacKinnon was held shot-less four times (Panthers, Ducks, Bruins, Sharks). They won all of those games except against Florida.
In the 2023-24 season, MacKinnon’s was held without a shot just once, in a 4-1 win against the Lightning.
Finally, in 2024-25 season, MacKinnon’s games without a shot reached just two. Those games were a loss to the Capitals and a loss to the Lightning.
As fans, we always want to see MacKinnon get in on the action. Not only is it fun to witness MacKinnon’s freakishly skilled play, but a lot of the time, his efforts translate into victories. A 9-16 record is very poor, needless to say. MacKinnon is starting the 2025-26 season strong, so hopefully he can continue at the pace he is going. If he is able to do that, the Avalanche should be winning more games left and right.