Nathan MacKinnon thought he had secured his 1,000th NHL point early in Colorado’s game against Chicago, as his teammates poured onto the ice to celebrate a first-period assist. But after a review overturned the goal due to an offside call, the milestone would have to wait.
The Avalanche star finally got there in the third period, setting up a goal for Artturi Lehkonen. His teammates rushed out again—this time for real.
“It was tough when they took it away, for sure,” MacKinnon said in a postgame interview. “Kind of funny, honestly, that they had to come out again. I really appreciate their support—I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Colorado went on to shut out Chicago 3-0.
Two Assists in the Third Seal the Achievement
MacKinnon, who came into the game just one point shy of 1,000, wasted no time making an impact in the final period. The milestone point came 31 seconds in when he dropped a pass to Devon Toews at the blue line, leading to a deflection by Lehkonen to break the scoreless tie.
Minutes later, he picked up another assist on a goal by Martin Nečas—the same player whose goal had been disallowed in the first period.
By reaching 1,000 points, MacKinnon became the 100th player in NHL history to hit the mark and just the third to do so in franchise history, joining legends Joe Sakic and Peter Stastny.
“I’ve been here a long time and have had some of the best teammates ever,” MacKinnon said. “It’s a cool milestone, but it’s over now. Time to focus on tomorrow night.”
A Dominant Force Since 2013
The Cole Harbour, N.S., native was the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and is the first from his class to hit 1,000 points.
Fans at Ball Arena likely felt confident they’d witness history—MacKinnon extended his home point streak to 20 consecutive games with Monday’s performance.
