WASHINGTON — Nathan MacKinnon was expected to spark the shorthanded Avalanche in his season debut on Tuesday. Instead, Colorado fell to 1-2 on the season in a game its superstar center might not have been prepared to play.
MacKinnon, who missed the Avs’ first two games while in COVID protocol, had an assist but was minus-5 in Washington’s 6-3 victory at Capital One Arena, where Capitals top-line center Evgeny Kuznetsov led the way with two goals.
MacKinnon had not skated in eight previous days while in quarantine, but he wasn’t Colorado’s only problem. The entire lineup struggled, including goalie Darcy Kuemper, who allowed multiple goals in each of the first two periods and again 39 seconds into the third when the Caps took a 5-2 lead.