Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon (29) scores on Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during third period NHL action in Winnipeg, Thursday, March 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG — Jared Bednar smiled when asked if he had any new words to describe the way Nathan MacKinnon is playing.

The Halifax-born centre scored his 47th and 48th goals of the season to propel the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, climbing toward his second career 50-goal season (51 in 2023-24).

“Not really,” the Avalanche head coach replied. “I'll tell you this, I didn't think those guys were having a great game for the first half. But again, you need some guys to step up and make some plays.

“And for me tonight, I like the way he made them.”

Jets veteran centre Mark Scheifele, who also scored twice, found numerous words of praise for the 30-year-old MacKinnon.

“He's absolutely fantastic,” Scheifele said of the fellow Canadian. “He's an absolute horse out there. He's a guy that works on his game so tirelessly.

“On the other side, he's a fun guy to watch. Makes a lot of plays, a lot of little plays, even that a lot of people don't notice. So, he's one of the best, if not the best, player in the league. And he shows it every single night. And it's impressive to watch.”

Scheifele leads Winnipeg with 34 goals and set a career-high 88 points in his 72nd game of the season.

Bednar pointed out MacKinnon went hard to the net twice, scoring on the power play 13 seconds into the third period to give Colorado a 2-1 lead.

The 2024 Hart Trophy winner did the same on a rush with Artturi Lehkonen, tipping in Lehkonen's pass at 3:55 to make it 3-1. Lehkonen returned after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury.

“I like the fact (MacKinnon) got rewarded for going to the net, for going to that inside ice,” Bednar said. “But, obviously, both of them are big difference-making plays for us.”

MacKinnon leads the Avalanche in goals and points (117) and is a key reason the team sits atop the league (48-13-10).

Colorado's victory in Winnipeg capped off a 4-0-0 road trip and extends the team's point streak to five games (4-0-1).

“Good defensive hockey overall,” MacKinnon said. “Obviously, four in a row on the road is a great road trip.”

The play of Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 22 saves, continues the team's strong tandem in net that includes Scott Wedgewood, MacKinnon said.

“The two he let in were not on him at all, so he played awesome,” he said. “Our goalies have been great all season.”

Blackwood returned the compliment to the guys in front of him.

“We've got a hell of a team in here,” the netminder said. “It helps when all the guys are clicking.

“Everybody's a big piece of it, right down to the guy that plays the least or the most. Everybody has a role to play, so that's how we think in here.”

The teams play a rematch Saturday when the Jets (30-30-12) travel to Denver.

“We had our looks, we had some opportunities, not as clean as we’d hoped,” Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel said.

“For Saturday, we’re going to have to get inside and throw some pucks into the blue paint and look for some greasy goals because they do a good job of trying to keep you to the outside, as we try to do to them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2026.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2026