What Nathan MacKinnon’s Rare Fight Says About the Avalanche’s 8-4 Opener
Nathan MacKinnon opened the Colorado Avalanche season with two goals and something far rarer: a fight. The 2024 MVP dropped his gloves with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke late in the third period, with Colorado leading 6-4, and the Avalanche finished with an 8-4 win. TSN reported that it was MacKinnon’s first fight in four years.
A Fight That Was Not Part of the Plan
The fight stood out because of who threw the punches. MacKinnon is Colorado’s most important offensive player, a center who put up a career-high 53 goals last season. Players in that role usually avoid fighting. The risk of injury is too high. When a superstar decides to scrap, it is a deliberate signal.
That signal arrived late in a game that was still competitive. MacKinnon scored on a 5-on-3 power play just 23 seconds into the second period. He added his second at 8:33 of the middle frame to give the Avalanche a 4-2 lead. Colorado scored four times in that period, but Los Angeles had pulled back to 6-4 by the time MacKinnon and Clarke dropped their gloves.
The Bigger Context From the Same Night
Hours before puck drop, the Avalanche gave head coach Jared Bednar a four-year contract extension. That move showed the organization’s confidence in its coach and its core. MacKinnon’s fight showed a willingness to back that core up physically. The two moves sent a related message: Colorado expects to be taken seriously early in the season.
It would be a mistake to read too much into one fight. MacKinnon had not fought in four years, and one scrap does not change how the Avalanche will play. But the timing matters. The Kings had trimmed a comfortable lead to two goals, and the fight came after the game had tightened. It gave the Avalanche a burst of emotional energy at a moment when Los Angeles was trying to make things uncomfortable.
NHL.com’s game recap focused on the eight goals, a strong offensive statement for a team with title ambitions. The fight was the detail that did not appear in any game plan. It combined MacKinnon’s usual scoring with an unusual physical edge, and it suggested that Colorado’s opening-night message was not just about putting pucks in the net.
For a team that expects to go deep into the spring, a game like this is a foundation, not a highlight. The 8-4 score gets remembered. The fight gets talked about. Both say Colorado began the season ready to impose itself.