MacKinnon strengthens Hart case with dominant performance vs. Wings
Nathan MacKinnon is out to prove he's the NHL's most valuable player.
The Colorado Avalanche forward recorded two goals, one assist and 11 shots in Sunday's win over Detroit, extending his personal point streak to 12 games and strengthening his team's bid for a Western Conference playoff spot as a result.
Everything seems to be going his way these days, as evidenced by a fortuitous bounce on his second goal of the afternoon:
10 points in his last five games right now.
- NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2018
It's like @Mackinnon9 is on beginner mode. pic.twitter.com/EDpeDfSRkr
MacKinnon now sits on 38 goals and 51 assists for 89 total points through 64 games, temporarily moving him into a tie for second among all players and within striking distance of Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, who entered Sunday's game against Edmonton with 91 points.
On a point per game basis, however, MacKinnon holds the advantage, as his 1.39 average is tops among all players.
Add in that Colorado has rebounded tremendously following an historically awful 2016-17, and MacKinnon should be at the forefront of any conversation in regards to the Hart Trophy.
Securing a postseason spot is key, as someone from a non-playoff team hasn't been named MVP since Mario Lemieux in 1988, and it only happened three times prior to that.
As it stands, MacKinnon and the Avs are rolling to an impressive finish.
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