Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has further cemented his legacy by matching franchise icon Joe Sakic as the team’s all-time leading scorer since the club relocated to Denver. MacKinnon reached the milestone on Tuesday night by registering the primary assist on the Avalanche’s opening goal in their 3–2 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
With that assist, MacKinnon now has 1,015 points in 870 career games with the Avalanche. Sakic recorded the same point total in as many games following the franchise’s move to Denver. This remarkable achievement highlights MacKinnon’s consistency and offensive prowess throughout his tenure with the team.
According to Brendan McNicholas, Vice President of Media & Player Relations for the Avalanche, MacKinnon “extends home point streak to 26 games. Ties Joe Sakic for most points in an @Avalanche sweater (since relocating). Both players with 1,015 points in exactly 870 games. Ties Peter Stastny for 2nd most.” This recognition further highlights the magnitude of MacKinnon’s feat, placing him alongside some of the greatest names in franchise history.
In addition to tying Sakic’s franchise mark, MacKinnon’s assist raised his season total to 116 points, equaling Peter Forsberg’s highest single-season output. One more point will give MacKinnon a second season with more points than any single campaign in Forsberg’s Hall of Fame career—his previous high was 140 points in 2023–24.
MacKinnon keeps setting records and leading the league
Tuesday’s assist also extended MacKinnon’s home point streak to 26 games—the second-longest in franchise history, behind only his own 35-game streak set last season. In the Avalanche’s upcoming game against the Vancouver Canucks, MacKinnon is poised to pass Adam Foote for second place in all-time games played for the Avalanche in the Denver era. Only Milan Hejduk, with 150 more games, remains ahead.
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The milestone also briefly lifted MacKinnon back into the lead in the NHL’s scoring race, overtaking Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, though the Lightning still have two games in hand.
Avalanche vs. Golden Knights: A high-stakes clash
The Avalanche’s win kept them within six points of the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central Division, after the Stars fell in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks. Dallas still holds a game in hand.
“I liked the way we fought back in this one and sort of stuck with it and [were] pretty resilient,” said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, via NHL.com. “I think you’re running into teams that kind of know where they are, and they’re trying to get through it healthy and waiting for playoff time.”
