Colorado Avalanche clinch NHL top seed with victory against Flames
Nathan MacKinnon scored his career-high 52nd goal as the Colorado Avalanche clinched the NHL’s top playoff seed with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
The Denver-based franchise secured their fourth Presidents’ Trophy for possessing the league’s best regular-season record.
This achievement ties them with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, sitting behind only the Detroit Red Wings’ historic six titles.
With 114 points and four fixtures remaining, the Western Conference powerhouse could reach the 120-point milestone for the first time in their history.
MacKinnon shines despite key absences
The Canadian center sealed the milestone victory by firing into an empty net to add to his two earlier assists.
Martin Necas and club captain Gabriel Landeskog also found the back of the net to help dispatch their Canadian opponents.
The squad managed to secure the crucial result despite missing integral figures Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar through finger and upper-body injuries respectively.
Between the pipes, goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood produced a stellar performance by turning away 28 shots from the visiting offense.
Veterans chase historic milestones
The record-setting night also saw veteran defenceman Brent Burns register an assist, taking his season tally to 34 points.
At 41 years of age, the experienced blueliner has now matched Nicklas Lidstrom’s impressive 2011-12 output for the second-most points in a single campaign by a defenceman aged 40 or older.
The current roster’s 52 victories this term places them tied for the second-most regular season wins in franchise history.
They remain just four wins shy of matching the club-record 56 triumphs achieved during their memorable 2021-22 campaign.
