Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon was named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending Nov. 17, it was announced on Monday.
MacKinnon, 24, willed the Avalanche to victory in overtime on Saturday, finishing the week with four goals and three assists in three games.
The forward made headlines at the conclusion of Colorado’s victory against the Vancouver Canucks over his comments regarding the Matt Calvert incident late in the third period. Calvert was struck by a puck, causing him to bleed from the side of his head on the ice. The referees let the play continue, leading to a Canucks goal and eventually another to force overtime.
In overtime, MacKinnon won the faceoff against a near unbeatable Bo Horvat before scoring 27 seconds later to give the Avalanche their fourth win in five games.
MacKinnon leads Colorado’s offense with 13 goals and 29 points in 20 games, most of which have been played without his two usual linemates, Mikko Rantanen and Gabe Landeskog, who continue to sit out with injuries.
He ranks sixth in the league in points and first in shots-per-game, with 4.95. His 99 total shots are second behind Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who has 108 in 22 games.
