Since arriving in Colorado, there have been five 50-goal seasons for the Avalanche.
Make that six.
On Wednesday night, Nathan MacKinnon scored his 50th goal of the season against the Vancouver Canucks, marking the sixth time the Avalanche have had a 50-goal season. The goal came just 1:22 into the first period, as MacKinnon cut across the ice near the blue line and floated a puck through traffic to beat Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen.
This is the second time MacKinnon has crossed the 50-goal threshold in his career. He scored a career-high 51 back in 2023-24 when he took home the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.
With the goal, MacKinnon becomes the first player in the NHL this season to hit the 50-goal mark. The next-closest player to him is Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who has 47 goals.
With seven games remaining after Wednesday, MacKinnon has a chance to break the Avalanche single-season record for goals scored in a season set during the 2022-23 campaign by Mikko Rantanen, who finished with 55 goals. MacKinnon becomes just the second player in Avalanche history to cross the 50-goal mark more than once, with the other being Joe Sakic. Michel Goulet crossed the 50-goal threshold four times while playing for the predecessor Quebec Nordiques.