Nathan MacKinnon’s night was already memorable before the final horn, but the moment that really jumped off the screen came late in the third period. After Cale Makar absorbed a hit he didn’t like, MacKinnon went straight after Brandt Clarke of the Kings and dropped the gloves.
It was over fast. By the count in the source report, the whole exchange lasted about seven seconds from first contact to both players ending up on the ice. For a player with MacKinnon’s importance, that’s the kind of fight you’d rather see end quickly.
And fights like that are rare for him. Since he entered the league in 2013, it was just MacKinnon’s ninth fight, according to HockeyFights.com.
Before Wednesday night, his last one came in 2022 against Dysin Mayo of, checks notes, the Arizona Coyotes. Four years is a long stretch in hockey, and the fact that the Coyotes are now the Utah Mammoth only makes that feel even further back.
The bigger point was simple: MacKinnon was backing up a teammate. That kind of response fits with what the Avalanche have seen from Gabriel Landeskog and his leadership since he returned from his knee injury. And while no one wants a star player spending too much time in a scrap, there’s also something unmistakable about seeing teammates stand up for one another.
The Avalanche still handled business on the ice. Colorado beat the Kings 8-4 in a high-scoring opener to start the 2026-27 season 1-0. MacKinnon’s fight didn’t change that result, and even after he was done for the night, Los Angeles couldn’t do enough to mount a full comeback.
Now Colorado gets two days before its second game of the season, Saturday against the St. Louis Blues. After an opening night that had goals, assists and a rare MacKinnon fight mixed in, the Avalanche head into that one with some momentum.
As for MacKinnon, another fight doesn’t sound likely anytime soon. But one thing was made clear on Wednesday: he’ll do it for his teammates.
In Other News...
Nathan MacKinnon Gave Avalanche Fans A Wild Opening Night Debate
Opening night had plenty of offense for Colorado, but Nathan MacKinnon still found a way to create a different kind of buzz. The Avalanche star dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke during the 2026-27 NHL regular-season opener, then later said he was the one who challenged Clarke after an exchange earlier in the game.
The fight did not slow MacKinnon down much from an on-ice standpoint, either. He finished with two goals in Colorados 8-4 win, turning a tense moment into just another part of a night that gave Avalanche fans plenty to talk about beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Nelson Just Put Early Pressure On A Key Avalanche Question
Brock Nelson wasted little time giving the Avalanche something to build on in the opening game of the 2026-27 season, scoring Colorados first goal against the Kings on the power play. It fit the pattern the Avalanche have developed over the past five years, with a different player finding the net first in each season, and it also served as an early reminder of why Nelson was such an important addition after putting up 33 goals in 81 games last season.
For Colorado, the goal did more than open the scoring. It also nudged an underlying question back into view: who will emerge as the most reliable early-season finisher and help settle the clubs offensive hierarchy as the games start to matter? Nelson answered on night one, and the Avalanche will spend the next stretch finding out whether that first strike is the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Opened With Firepower But One Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Avalanche came out flying in their season opener and left little doubt about their offensive ceiling in an 8-4 win over the Kings. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, Brock Nelson added three points, and Colorados power play looked sharp right away, cashing in on four of five chances.
Even with that kind of firepower, the game also showed why the opener can be such a useful reality check. Colorado gave up four goals, including two while shorthanded, and Mackenzie Blackwood faced 31 shots in his debut with the club, stopping 27 of them. The attack was obvious from the start, but the details on the other end are the part fans will keep watching. [Read more 🡒]