Avalanche opponents had their chances — for months.
From early October to the night the NHL paused March 11, Colorado limped its way through a coronavirus-shortened 70-game regular season.
Yet even as key forwards Mikko Rantanen (27 games), Nazem Kadri (18), Gabe Landeskog (15) and Andre Burakovsky (11) missed extended stretches, Nathan MacKinnon was always there.
And the Avalanche star made do with whoever was available — amassing 35 goals and 93 points in leading Colorado to the second-best record in the Western Conference.
If injuries defined the Avalanche’s regular season, MacKinnon refused to let that derail a Stanley Cup contender.