MacKinnon Reaches 1,000 Points After Review Delay

DENVER — In what initially seemed like a memorable moment in Colorado’s game against Chicago, Nathan MacKinnon appeared to have achieved the 1,000-point milestone with an assist in the first period. His teammates jubilantly rushed onto the ice to celebrate, only for the moment to become a false start.

The celebratory scene turned out to be premature, as a review determined the play was offside, nullifying both the goal and MacKinnon’s assist. However, the Colorado star eventually reached the momentous 1,000 points with another assist early in the third period on Monday night, prompting his teammates to join him on the ice for a second celebration.

“It was tough when they disallowed it for sure,” MacKinnon remarked during an on-ice interview following the game. “It was kind of funny honestly. They had to come out again. Obviously, I appreciate their support and wouldn’t be here without them.”

The Avalanche continued to dominate the matchup, shutting out the Blackhawks 3-0. Entering the game, MacKinnon was just a point shy of reaching the milestone and finished the night with two assists, both accrued in the third period. His landmark point was secured when he dropped a pass to Devon Toews at the blue line, with Toews’ shot being deflected into the net by Artturi Lehkonen to break a scoreless tie 31 seconds into the period.

At 29 years old, MacKinnon had added another assist on a goal by Martin Necas roughly three minutes later. Ironically, Necas was the player who scored the earlier goal that was rescinded in the first period.

Upon successfully reaching the 1,000-point mark, MacKinnon etched his name alongside only 99 other players in NHL history, and joined the ranks of franchise legends like Joe Sakic and Peter Stastny.

“Been here for a while, had some of the best teammates to ever play,” MacKinnon noted. “Pretty fortunate. Obviously, it’s a cool milestone, but it’s over now, and look forward to tomorrow night.”

MacKinnon, who was the top selection in the 2013 draft, is the first player from his draft class to achieve 1,000 points. Fans had good reason to anticipate witnessing history Monday, as it marked MacKinnon’s 20th consecutive home game with at least one point.