Nathan MacKinnon Strengthens Hart Trophy Case With Big Week

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon was named the NHL Players Association’s Player of the Week on Friday.

3 GP: 4 G, 5 A, 9 P — averaging 3.00 points per game (led the league)

Seven even-strength points (second in the league)

21:23 TOI/GP — (led all Avalanche forwards)

Back-to-back four-point games

Collected his team-leading eighth game-winning goal against Chicago

109 points (leads all NHL skaters)

NHL Points Leaders

Nathan MacKinnon (COL): 109 points

 Nikita Kucherov (TBL): 106 points

 Connor McDavid (EDM): 100 points

MacKinnon surged ahead of Kucherov in points after his big week. No. 29 has the fourth-most goals (40) and second-most assists (69).

Kucherov extended his points streak to seven games with a secondary assist on Thursday. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward ranks sixth in goals (38) and third in assists (68).

McDavid has 23 goals, down from a career-best 64 established last season. Further, the Oilers superstar is on pace to score his fewest goals since his second season in the league. However, he is making up for his lack of goal-scoring in assists. McDavid has 77 helpers this year, the most in the NHL.

MacKinnon Eyeing First Hart Trophy

With 109 points and 18 games remaining in the regular season, MacKinnon is on pace to surpass his career-best 111 points established in 2023-24. The 28-year-old finished fifth in the Hart Trophy voting last year. Added, he previously finished runner-up in 2017-18 and 2019-20. MacKinnon also finished third in the voting in the shortened 2020-21 season. McDavid is the reigning Hart Trophy winner, having won it three times in the last seven seasons. Kucherov previously won the award in 2018-19.