Matinee Magic
Nathan MacKinnon capped off a two-goal performance with the overtime-winner to help the Avalanche defeat the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Parker Kelly scored Colorado's first goal of the game while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced in net.
"It was a lot of fun," MacKinnon said. "Scoring a goal like that at MSG, I was excited, obviously. It was a lot of fun. We come here once a year, so I like to make the most of it, and it's a great team win. [A] lot of guys played awesome. Obviously they tied it up late, but I thought we played a good road game."
With the win, the Avalanche improved to 20-2-6.
"The last time I cut back before the goal, I heard someone say they're (the Rangers) tired," MacKinnon said. "And that kind of gave me a little confidence, I think, that I could try something, and if I mess up, I could still get it back, because they're gassed. Just a little confidence there from, I think it might have been [Ross Colton], it was a good call by him."
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar said he thought MacKinnon could have scored five goals on Saturday.
"I thought [Rangers goalie Igor] Shesterkin robbed him (MacKinnon) on multiple occasions," Bednar said. "On that one (the overtime-winner), he (MacKinnon) kind of waited him out and made a beautiful move after dancing around the zone for a while. [It's a] big goal for us, obviously. Get the team back on track after the loss the other night."
