- MacKinnon blocked a Shea Theodore one-timer in the second period and limped down the tunnel
- He returned in the third on a bad knee and finished the game on short shifts
- Read below for Wedgewood’s blunt quote and the video of the play
Scott Wedgewood doesn’t think much will keep Nathan MacKinnon off the ice. Not even a slap shot to the knee.
The Avalanche goalie was asked about MacKinnon’s toughness after Colorado blew a 3-0 lead and dropped Game 3 to Vegas, 5-3, on Sunday night.
“You might have to kill him to get him off the ice,” Wedgewood said. “Just kind of the person he is, the competitor he is. He obviously proves that every time he’s on the ice.”
MacKinnon went down to block a Shea Theodore one-timer midway through the second period. The puck caught the outside of his right knee. He doubled over, needed help getting up, and skated off slowly with the T-Mobile Arena crowd watching him go.
He took two more shifts before limping down the tunnel late in the period. He didn’t return to the bench for the start of the third. Roughly three minutes in, he was back.
Here’s the moment MacKinnon went down:
The rest of the way, he hopped over the boards in short bursts and looked heavy on the bad leg. By the time he came back, Colorado’s 3-0 lead had already turned into a 4-3 deficit.
Colorado scored three first-period goals through Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, and Jack Drury. Vegas tied it in the second and got a Tomas Hertl go-ahead goal in the third before an empty-netter sealed it. Wedgewood made 18 saves.
Vegas now leads the Western Conference Final 3-0. Game 4 goes Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, and if MacKinnon can’t go, the Avs season ends with him on the bench.
Wedgewood wasn’t done talking about his teammate.
“He wants to win more than anybody,” Wedgewood said.
Watch the full post-game media availability:
Cale Makar was back in the lineup for Game 3 after sitting Game 2, but Colorado still couldn’t hold three goals. They’re a loss away from going home.
