The Latest Breaking News from Nathan MacKinnon

The Avalanche penalty kill deserved a lucky break, and it got one.

PITTSBURGH — In their first game in 10 days, the Penguins were absolutely dominated by Nathan MacKinnon and the defending Stanley Cup champs at PPG Paints Arena.

DENVER — Seven years can take a toll on a relationship, but the spark is still there between Nathan MacKinnon and Jared Bednar.

SEATTLE — Two teams striving to make the playoffs for vastly different reasons collided on Saturday night looking like they had quite a lot to prove.

CALGARY, Alberta — Jared Bednar’s choice of goaltender the last three games was never meant to stir speculation about a competition, nor was it a show of distrust in his starter.

DENVER — It would have sounded ludicrous as recently as four days ago to credit the 2022-23 Avalanche with a feat of dominance equally impressive as the previous year’s team.

DENVER — Point to any number of shortcomings as a primary reason for the Avalanche’s dramatic malfunction toward the halfway point of the 2022-23 season: injuries, lack of organizational depth, a short offseason catching up in the form of fatigue.

For a second consecutive game, a late Colorado Avalanche game-tying goal was reviewed and overturned. This time, there was no swift make-up goal to make the pain go away.

DENVER — The Avalanche have plenty to look forward to in 2023, but before 2022 was history, history repeated itself.

PHILADELPHIA — No captain Gabriel Landeskog, no winger Valeri Nichushkin, no winger Artturi Lehkonen for the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, due to injury. That was (almost) no problem for the Flyers, who have been decimated by injuries of their own for the last two seasons.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Commit one penalty against the Avalanche, and hold your breath. Commit two in succession, and start digging yourself a grave.