MacKinnon Drops the Gloves, Avs Drop Eight: Harry Balz Says the Rest of the NHL Should Be Nervous
| |

MacKinnon Drops the Gloves, Avs Drop Eight: Harry Balz Says the Rest of the NHL Should Be Nervous

ByHarry Balz
MacKinnon Drops the Gloves, Avs Drop Eight: Harry Balz Says the Rest of the NHL Should Be Nervous
MacKinnon Drops the Gloves, Avs Drop Eight: Harry Balz Says the Rest of the NHL Should Be Nervous

Folks, I’ve watched a lot of opening nights. I’ve watched my brother Jim pick the Kings to “steal one in Denver” on our pregame show. Once again, I’ve watched him be wrong in front of a live audience. And I’m telling you, Wednesday night at Ball Arena was something special.

Nathan MacKinnon’s two goals and a fight with Brandt Clarke led the Avalanche in its 8-4 season-opening defeat of the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on Wednesday. Eight goals. Colorado’s eight goals on Wednesday set a franchise record for tallies in a season opener. In Game 1 of 84, this team already broke a franchise record. Jim, hold my beer.

The Fight Heard ‘Round the Front Range

Let’s get to what everybody’s talking about, because Nathan MacKinnon fighting is about as common as Jim picking up a dinner check.

With less than seven minutes to go in the third period and the Avalanche up 6-4, MacKinnon and Clarke took healthy whacks at one another while battling in front of the Kings’ net. Then the gloves came off. MacKinnon dropped Clarke to the ice in only a few seconds, and then the Avalanche star chucked his helmet to the side for good measure. One timer at Mile High Sticking says the whole thing, from the moment contact was intiated to both players ending up on the ice, lasted about seven total seconds. Seven seconds. That’s a shorter fight than Jim and I have over who gets the good mic.

How rare is this? It was MacKinnon’s first fighting major since 2024, and just the second fighting major of his NHL career. And it wasn’t some random burst of anger. MacKinnon said the bout was a potential result of both a crosscheck that Clarke delivered on him and a hit on Avalanche star Cale Makar in the second period. His explanation was perfect: “It’s Cale Makar.” That’s all he needed to say.

Here’s where I go soft on you, so brace yourselves. This is what sports does for a community. You’ve got a guy who had a career-high 53 goals last season, the most valuable piece of hockey property in the state, and he puts that aside to stand up for his teammate. Every kid in a Colorado youth rink watching that learned something about being a good teammate. The crowd felt it too. He buried Clarke to the ice and sent the Ball Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Even Makar gave his buddy a scouting report: “I definitely wouldn’t want to be a guy fighting [MacKinnon] because he’s got good technique and he knows what he’s doing.” Jim, take notes before you try to wrestle me for the remote again.

One more note for the history buffs: MacKinnon became the sixth player in Avalanche team history to record two goals and a fight in the same game since the club moved to Colorado.

The Hockey Part (Yes, There Was Hockey)

People will remember the fight, but don’t forget MacKinnon was dominant before it happened. He scored on a 5-on-3 just 23 seconds into the second period and gave the Avs a 4-2 lead with his second at 8:33. He posted two goals and eight total shots on goal. Eight shots. The man was hungry.

The supporting cast showed up too:

  • Brock Nelson opened the Avalanche scoring on the power play after six-and-a-half minutes.
  • Parker Kelly made it 2-1 Avs after one.
  • Lehkonen scored twice, and Nelson posted three points.
  • Captain Gabriel Landeskog’s tally made it 7-4.
  • At 18:19 of the first, Blackwood made a huge save on Trevor Moore’s chance from the doorstep off the rush to keep the Avs ahead.

Then there’s the special teams. The power play went 4/5 and the penalty kill posted a perfect 4/4 mark. If you’re Peter Laviolette, whose coaching debut with LA this was, you’re going home to rethink some things.

Okay, Measured Harry Has Some Notes

Because I’m the analytical twin (Jim’s gonna say he is, but ask anyone who’s seen his fantasy roster), here’s a reality check. The Avalanche also scored four power-play goals overall but surrendered two shorthanded goals. Giving up two shorties against a team like Dallas is how you lose a game you dominated. The Denver Gazette put it bluntly: “Defense and goaltending were mostly optional” on Wednesday night. Fair. Allowing four goals every night won’t cut it in the Central.

Still, after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last year and watching Carolina lift the Cup instead, this group clearly came back with a chip on its shoulder. I’ll take a statement win over a 2-1 snoozer any day.

Your Avs Viewing Guide: The Next Week-Plus

The Avs took Thursday off. Then their first division game is Game 2 against the St. Louis Blues on October 3. After that comes a road back-to-back that is not fun. All times are Mountain, per the NHL’s released schedule. Networks come from Sports Media Watch’s TV listings:

DateOpponentTime (MT)TV
Sat, Oct. 3vs St. Louis7:00 p.m.Altitude (ESPN+ out-of-market)
Wed, Oct. 7at Winnipeg5:30 p.m.Altitude (ESPN+ out-of-market)
Thu, Oct. 8at Calgary7:00 p.m.Altitude, KTVD My20 (ESPN+ out-of-market)
Sat, Oct. 10vs Toronto5:00 p.m.Altitude (NHL Network out-of-market)

Mark your calendar for what comes after that: Tuesday, October 13th, 6:30 p.m. at Dallas on ESPN, then the Stars visit Ball Arena on 10/14 on HBO Max, TNT and truTV. That one is part of the annual Frozen Frenzy where every team in the league plays on the same night with staggered start times.

If you’re cutting the cord in Colorado, Altitude+ (in-market only) streams Avalanche games for $20/month or $200/year. Broadcast listings can change, so check before puck drop.

Harry’s Bold Prediction

Here it is, and I’ll stand behind it: the Avs leave this stretch 4-1. They take care of the Blues on Saturday and split the Winnipeg-Calgary back-to-back (sorry, tired legs are real). Then they beat Toronto at home in front of a crowd that’s still buzzing about MacKinnon’s seven-second fight. Jim will tell you they drop both road games. Jim also told you the Kings would win on Wednesday. Draw your own conclusions.

And one more: MacKinnon doesn’t fight again all season, because nobody’s going to give him a reason to.

So here’s my question for the comments: will the Avs be 4-1 or better after the October 10 Toronto game, or is Jim finally right and that Winnipeg-Calgary back-to-back trips them up? Make your pick.

Your turn: Think Jim or Harry got it wrong? Make your case in the comments. Want the bigger picture beyond the box score? Read The Hairy Times, our sister paper.

Harry Balz – The better looking one

Sources we checked (16)

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply