Nathan MacKinnon scores twice in Avalanche 8-4 win over Kings

Fantasy hockey: MacKinnon's two goals and eight shots came in 17:44 Wednesday, a quiet outing for a center averaging 1.60 points, 4.2 shots and 22:26 a night.

By Fantasy Roundup Staff · October 1, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and fired eight shots in 17:44 during Colorado's 8-4 win over Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 30. The center finished with one power-play goal, two hits and a minus-2 rating in the victory.

The line looks strong at first glance, but 17:44 of ice time is well below the 22:26 a night MacKinnon typically commands. His underlying play grades 99 out of 100 among forwards for shots, scoring chances and ice time, a read on how sustainable his scoring is. He averages 1.60 points per game with 4.2 shots, 0.59 goals and 1.01 assists across his recent sample.

Fantasy impact

Player by player

Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon's two goals and eight shots represent a quality fantasy performance, though his 17:44 of ice time was nearly five minutes below his recent average of 22:26 a night. The reduced workload likely reflects the lopsided score rather than any demotion. He runs Colorado's top power-play unit, which produced one of his two goals Wednesday, and typically sees 4:04 of power-play time per game, second among all Avalanche skaters.

His recent averages show 1.60 points per game with 0.59 goals, 1.01 assists and 4.2 shots across a 221-game sample. The eight shots Wednesday matched his volume work even in limited minutes. Colorado has one game remaining this week on Saturday, then four games next week, giving MacKinnon a strong schedule ahead to maintain his elite production pace.

What to do

• Start MacKinnon in all formats with Colorado playing Saturday and four times next week.

• Trust his 99th-percentile process grade as a signal that his elite production is sustainable.

• Expect MacKinnon to return to his typical 22:26 of ice time in competitive games.

Schedule this week