Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon reached a vaunted milestone, becoming the third player in team history to score 400 goals.
MacKinnon reached the mark by scoring at the 3:13 mark of the first period. MacKinnon popped a loose puck at the side of the net past Team Canada teammate Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.
The goal briefly put the Avalanche up 2-0. Valeri Nichushkin scored 13 seconds later to make the game 3-0.
But MacKinnon was hardly done. He struck again at the 4:39 mark, rifling a one-timer past Binnington for his second goal of the game. The Avs took a 4-0 lead before the Blues could even get their first shot on net.
MacKinnon remains in third place on the Avalanche’s all-time goal-scoring list. The all-time leader is Joe Sakic with 625 goals for the Avalanche-Nordiques franchise. In second place is Michel Goulet, who scored 456 goals with the Nordiques franchise.
While it’s unrealistic to expect MacKinnon to pass Goulet this season, he could reach Goulet at some point next season. That feat would leave only Sakic in his sights. Considering that MacKinnon is the Avalanche’s second all-time leading scorer, it’s not unreasonable to imagine he could pass Sakic eventually.
Still, MacKinnon has a long road ahead of him. He’ll need to continue performing up to his current level to reach Sakic’s point total of 1,641 points. It’s certainly doable as long as MacKinnon stays healthy and consistent.
Behind MacKinnon, the next active player on the Avalanche’s all-time goal-scoring list is Gabe Landeskog with 254. Mikko Rantanen is ahead of Landeskog, but unless Rantanen somehow returns to Colorado, his 287 goals with the Avalanche shall remain a part of team history.
In the meantime, the Avalanche will continue chasing history and another shot at the Stanley Cup. The Avs remain the best team in the NHL at the moment and don’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon.