- MacKinnon expects a long fight with Vegas in Round 3
- Avs star calls Jack Eichel a “two-way force” Colorado must contain
- Read below for the full video from MacKinnon’s presser ahead of Game 1
Nathan MacKinnon isn’t expecting a quick series.
The Avalanche star met with reporters after Tuesday’s practice in Denver, one day before Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, and he isn’t bracing for a sweep.
“I just can’t see this being a short series,” MacKinnon said, per NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke. “It’s going to be tough, and we’re ready for a seven-gamer here.”
Catch the full video from MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog at the mic:
Vegas drags real playoff scar tissue into this matchup. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, the year after Colorado raised the same trophy, and MacKinnon thinks that experience matters.
MacKinnon was asked what the Knights bring with their veteran core:
“I mean, they’ve done it recently, just the year after us, so they have a lot of guys who knows what it takes,” he said.
Jack Eichel is the other name drawing his focus. The Vegas captain sits second in playoff scoring with 15 points and has carried the Knights through six-game series wins over Utah and Anaheim.
On Eichel, MacKinnon didn’t pretend it’ll be easy:
“He’s one of the best players in the league, going to be extremely challenging,” MacKinnon said. “He’s a two-way force out there. Big, strong guy. It’s going to be definitely a team effort to take away time and space, but he’s going to create, he’s just that good. Hopefully, we can limit it.”
Colorado has dropped just one game in the postseason after sweeping the Kings and finishing off the Wild in five. Cale Makar’s status for Game 1 is still in question after he sat out Tuesday’s skate.
MacKinnon doesn’t sound like a guy bleeding energy. He has seven goals and 13 points in nine playoff games, and he called Game 5 against Minnesota, when Colorado erased a 3-0 hole before Brett Kulak’s overtime winner, “probably the most fun we’ve all had playing hockey.”
That mood gets its first real test Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
