In a night packed with high drama and offensive fireworks, Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche roared back into the win column with a commanding 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 12, 2026. Just two days after a controversial ejection against the Edmonton Oilers—a game misconduct that the NHL later rescinded—MacKinnon came out swinging, notching four points and reminding everyone why he’s among the league’s elite.
MacKinnon’s performance was nothing short of electrifying. The Avalanche star scored his NHL-leading 44th goal of the season and added three assists, bringing his season total to 108 points—just two shy of Edmonton’s Connor McDavid in the heated scoring race. “I think he was a little pissed off, to say the least,” Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri said after the game. “I like that side of Nate, when he gets a little choked and wants to come out and shove up it everybody’s you know what.”
The Avalanche wasted no time asserting dominance in the opening period. Their relentless pressure in the offensive zone left the Kraken scrambling, and it was MacKinnon who set the tone early. At just 3:45 into the game, he delivered a crisp cross-ice pass to Martin Necas, who buried his career-high 30th goal of the season. Necas, who’s been on a tear since the Olympic break, now finds himself tied for the league lead in goals since the hiatus—a testament to his growing impact on Colorado’s top line.
The chemistry between MacKinnon and Necas was on full display. Just minutes after assisting Necas, MacKinnon found the net himself in a rather unorthodox fashion. Attempting a cross-crease pass to Kadri, the puck deflected off Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson’s skate and slid past goaltender Joey Daccord. The tally marked MacKinnon’s 44th of the season, further cementing his place atop the NHL’s goal-scoring leaderboard.
Colorado wasn’t done yet. Their suddenly resurgent power play, which has been clicking at a 23.3% rate since the Olympic break, struck late in the first. With Necas temporarily off the ice after drawing a double-minor for high-sticking, MacKinnon worked the puck into the slot. After a near-whiff by Brock Nelson, the puck trickled to Nicolas Roy, who promptly jammed it home for his second goal in four games since being acquired from Toronto. “Today, it was pretty much a tap-in, so a good opportunity on the first unit there,” Roy said. “They made a play, and a lucky bounce too. But overall, I think I can obviously be more offensive. You look at past years, and I always had around 15 goals. I’ve got that in me, and I know I can bring more here.”
The Kraken, fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive, finally answered midway through the second period. With Colorado on the power play, Avalanche forward Roy lost an edge at center ice, allowing Chandler Stephenson to pounce on the loose puck. Stephenson led the rush and fed Ryker Evans, who fired a wrister past Scott Wedgewood for a short-handed goal—Evans’s seventh of the season. It was a rare blemish in an otherwise stellar night for the Avalanche’s special teams, who still lead the league in shorthanded goals allowed this season.
But the Avalanche quickly reasserted themselves. With just under three minutes left in the second period, MacKinnon dropped a pass for Sam Malinski at the right point. Malinski’s shot was deftly tipped by Kadri, who redirected it past former Avalanche netminder Philipp Grubauer for his 13th goal of the season—and his first since rejoining Colorado in a trade from Calgary just a week earlier. “That one felt good,” Kadri admitted. “I feel like I’ve had a few chances before that in prior games. It was just nice to get that off my chest.”
Joel Kiviranta capped the scoring at 12:41 of the third period, redirecting a shot from Josh Manson past Grubauer for his third goal of the year. By then, the outcome was all but sealed, with the Avalanche’s depth and firepower on full display despite missing key forwards Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Ross Colton due to injury. Colorado dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the first time this season, a testament to their adaptability and resilience.
On the other end of the ice, Scott Wedgewood was a wall. The Avalanche goaltender turned aside 28 of 29 shots, including two crucial breakaway saves early in the third period that stifled any hopes of a Kraken comeback. Wedgewood’s record since the Olympic break now stands at a sparkling 5-0, and he notched his 25th win of the campaign in the process. “He’s fun to watch,” Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy said of MacKinnon, but the same could be said for Wedgewood’s recent run of form.
The Kraken, meanwhile, saw their playoff aspirations take a hit as they dropped their fourth straight contest and concluded a disappointing six-game homestand. Goaltender Joey Daccord was pulled after allowing three goals on 15 shots in the first period, with Grubauer stopping nine of 11 in relief. Defenseman Bobby McMann, acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, was unable to make his debut as he awaited visa clearance.
Despite the lopsided score, the game was not without its tense moments. The Avalanche’s depleted forward corps forced head coach Jared Bednar to get creative with his line combinations, even dressing defenseman Nick Blankenburg for his first game in a Colorado sweater. Ross Colton’s absence, after taking a shot to the upper body in the Oilers game, did not prompt a call-up—perhaps a sign that his injury isn’t as serious as initially feared.
Looking ahead, the Avalanche will try to keep their momentum rolling as they head to Winnipeg for a Saturday afternoon clash with the Jets. The Kraken, meanwhile, will attempt to regroup on the road against the Vancouver Canucks. With the regular season winding down and playoff positioning on the line, every point is precious—and if Thursday night was any indication, the Avalanche are peaking at just the right time.
As the final horn sounded in Seattle, the message was clear: with MacKinnon leading the charge and secondary scoring coming alive, Colorado remains a force to be reckoned with in the NHL’s stretch run. The rest of the league has been put on notice—don’t count the Avalanche out just yet.