There is no better time to be a Colorado Avalanche fan than right now. While the majority of the NHL is in playoff position (besides three teams), the Avalanche stand above all of them with their dominant play thus far.
Colorado is running away from the pack and looks like the favorite to win the Presidents' Trophy. Not to mention, they have just one regulation loss through 26 games played.
On Tuesday night, the Avalanche defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1. Their star, Nathan MacKinnon, helped propel the team to an easy victory by scoring two goals, bringing his season total to 22. It's no secret that once MacKinnon is on the ice, it spells trouble for their opponents. Now, there is proof of it.
Corey Masisak of the Denver Post pointed out during Tuesday's game that when MacKinnon is on the ice, the Avalanche are outscoring their opponents 37-9 in five-on-five situations. Yes, 37-9.
The #Avs are outscoing the other team 37-9 when Nathan MacKinnon is on the ice at 5v5 this season.
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) December 3, 2025
Thirty. Seven. To. Nine.
Absurd Nathan MacKinnon stat proves just how dangerous Avalanche are this season
Of MacKinnon's 22 goals on the year, and the Avalanche's 37 in five-on-five situations, the star has 16 even strength goals. Not to mention, on the year, he leads hockey with a +32 plus/minus ratio through 26 games.
Is it time to just end the Hart Trophy race and name MacKinnon the presumptive winner? There is still plenty of season to go for the superstar and the Avalanche but based on his current pace, it's going to be hard to topple him off the top of the leaderboards.
Sure, there are young stars that are truly making things interesting across the NHL, such as Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks. But when you look at the MVP race, you tend to look towards the top team in the entire league. Considering the Avalanche are on an absurd run of dominance, it's difficult not to pick him as the runaway favorite.
It will be interesting to see if he matches the numbers he put up during the 2023-24 season, where he won the Hart Trophy for the first time of his career. Through 82 games that season, MacKinnon scored 51 goals and recorded 89 assists for a total of 140 points. MacKinnon won the Hart Trophy with 89.69 percent of the vote.
Thus far, this year, MacKinnon is on pace to score 69 goals, which would be a career-high for the four-time All-Star.
Having this kind of production from MacKinnon, and having the effect he has on his teammates, only makes things easier for the goalies. The Avalanche currently have one of the best goaltending duos in Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, who were both acquired at the trade deadline last season. Having all of this scoring ability on the team makes their jobs easier.
Can this streak continue for the Avalanche? It's hard to tell if they can maintain it for the entire 82 game season. But so far, it's hard not to envision the team winning their third Stanley Cup title at season's end.