Nathan MacKinnon

Feb. 26-March 4, 2018

11-point week over 4 GP

2 game-winning goals

5 goals tied for league-high

1st overall in assists (6) and points (11)

Extended a five-game point streak (6-6–12)

Nathan MacKinnon dominated play with 11 points (5-6–11) to help his club pick up seven of a possible eight points over the week as he continued to build his case as the Colorado Avalanche's most valuable player.

MacKinnon earned first star of the game honours with a three-point night (2-1–3) in a 3-1 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.

"We wanted to take over tonight," MacKinnon said to reporters postgame. "I had a lot of really good looks. I wanted to be aggressive and I'm not sure how many shots I finished with, but definitely enough to score."

The 22-year-old totalled a game-high nine shots on net and scored twice in the victory, featuring this short-side tally which stood as the game-winner in the third period.

Wednesday night, MacKinnon was again named first star of the game by turning in a goal and an assist as part of a 5-2 defeat over the Calgary Flames. He registered eight shots on goal over 20:30 of ice time as he extended a three-game scoring streak that began against the Flames last week.

MacKinnon’s goal was one of three goals scored within 4:17 that helped the Avs rally from a 2-0 deficit to extend their home record to 12-1-0. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native lit the lamp for his 70th point of his 2017-18 campaign for a career high in the category, and eclipsed the mark with an assist Tyson Barrie’s game-winner.

The centre continued along as a force to be reckoned with in a five-point outing Friday night, where for the third and final time of the week, MacKinnon earned first start of the game. He tallied two goals (including the game-winner) and a trio of assists to help Colorado to a decisive 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Pepsi Center.

The alternate captain eclipsed another career high by notching his 30th and 31st goals for the first time in an NHL season. After the game, opponents were quick to point to MacKinnon’s skating ability and knack for making plays, rating him among the best in the game.

"Great players are going to make plays. A guy like MacKinnon, who skates and handles the puck like he does, the best way to defend him is not give him that," Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk spoke of MacKinnon to reporters. "There's going to be times he creates because he's that good. If it's over and over and over again, it's not going to be a positive result for us."

Sunday night, the Avs’ winning ways at home came to an end as they picked up a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the streaking Nashville Predators who, with the victory, picked up their eighth straight win. MacKinnon closed out his week skating in a game-high 23:26 among forwards while picking up an assist to extend a five-game point streak.

This marks the second time of the 2017-18 season that the MacKinnon has earned NHLPA.com Player of the Week, after first extending a nine-game point streak with a six-point week over three games played back in January.

MacKinnon's 31 goals and 77 points on the season land him inside the league's top ten performers in those categories, and rank seventh and fifth (tied alongside Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos) respectively.

The Avalanche hit the road to face the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday.

More Nathan MacKinnon

Complete listing of the 2017-18 NHLPA.com Players of the Week here