TAMPA, Fla. -- It took Nathan MacKinnon years to reach this place. And we're not just talking about the Stanley Cup Final.
The Colorado Avalanche superstar is mired in a mini scoring drought, with zero goals and two assists through three Cup Final games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was held off the scoresheet entirely in Colorado's 6-2 drubbing by the Lightning in Game 3.
The old MacKinnon would have cursed his lack of production, dangerously overcompensated and wound up hurting his team more. This MacKinnon has grown enough to recognize he can't do it all and still purposefully strive to provide more offensive punch in Game 4 on Wednesday.