Colorado's elite center has scored a point in every game at Ball Arena this season.
Colorado's elite center has scored a point in every game at Ball Arena this season.
The Colorado Avalanche may have lacked some energy against the Columbus Blue Jackets but Nathan MacKinnon had enough to keep his home scoring streak alive.
On a takeaway pass from Cale Makar, MacKinnon grabbed the puck on a breakaway and ripped a shot over Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins at 13:59 in the third period.
The 28-year-old center has now passed Guy Lafleur's record (32 GP in 1978-79) and tied Wayne Gretzky's — 33 GP in 1985-86 — for the second-longest run in NHL history.
"I think it's at so many, so high number of games now, I don't even know what it is over 30 something right, so I think guys are obviously rooting for him and try to help him you know, keep it going and hopefully play all the home games this year score points. So we're trying to help him do that," Mikko Rantanen said after the win.
MacKinnon would need to keep it going for another seven games to tie Gretzky's record for longest home point scoring streak from the season start, which the Great One achieved with the Los Angeles Kings in 1989-90.
"Crazy. Yeah. I mean, lucky to have him on our side for sure. I think when you're watching from your own bench and he's on your team, it's a lot more fun than chasing him around. So yeah, extremely, extremely, impressive what he's doing for sure," Casey Mittelstadt said.
The Halifax, Nova Scotia native has 72 points in the 33 games at Ball Arena this season.
"I love coaching the guy because he brings an intensity and a drive to his game that's unmatched in my opinion in the league, right? So the streak is a result of all the hard work and dedication that he brings to the game on a nightly basis There's not a guy on that bench didn't know he hadn't had a point yet but when he got it everyone was pretty happy, you know?" head coach Jared Bednar said. "And you can see, he wants it, you know, like he's a little ornery on the bench and this started the second period when he hadn't got a point yet. So that's a pressure that he puts on himself and he gets the one and then relaxes a little bit and, then the second point came a little bit easier for him. He's got to stay in the moment, keep playing his game and hopefully the streak continues but everyone's rooting for him."
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