{"id":417846,"date":"2026-01-20T12:59:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/417846\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:59:13","slug":"i-want-to-play-well-feel-good-nathan-mackinnon-on-hitting-1100-points-in-avalanches-5-2-win-over-capitals-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/417846\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI want to play well, feel good\u201d: Nathan MacKinnon on hitting 1,100 points in Avalanche\u2019s 5-2 win over Capitals | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u201cINathan MacKinnon hits 1,100 points (Image via: Getty Images) Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> keeps finding new ways to define Colorado\u2019s season, even when milestones are not his focus. On Monday night at Ball Arena, the Avalanche<\/a> leaned on their top line and timely execution to steady themselves after a brief dip, dispatching the Washington Capitals 5-2 in a controlled, mature performance.The result mattered beyond the standings. Colorado responded after two straight losses, while MacKinnon quietly crossed another historic mark, reaching 1,100 NHL points with a dominant three-point night that set the tone from start to finish.<\/p>\n

Nathan MacKinnon becomes 70th NHL player to reach 1,100 points<\/p>\n

MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist, driving Colorado\u2019s offense with his usual blend of pace and precision. Reflecting on his milestone, he said, \u201cI want to play well, feel good. I want to help the team. In my mind, it could go away any day, so I’m not enjoying [any milestones] right now.\u201d His first goal came on the power play midway through the second period, cutting through Washington\u2019s coverage before snapping a wrist shot past Charlie Lindgren to restore the Avalanche lead.Parker Kelly opened the scoring early by redirecting a Cale Makar point shot, but Washington answered through Jakob Chychrun\u2019s power-play goal. From there, Colorado dictated play in layers. Victor Olofsson extended the lead late in the second period by converting a rebound, and although Ethen Frank responded just seconds later for the Capitals, the Avalanche never appeared rattled.Scott Wedgewood\u2019s 22-save effort provided calm support at the other end, while Colorado\u2019s skaters controlled the neutral zone and limited Washington\u2019s transition looks. The Avalanche absorbed pressure when needed, then punished mistakes, a theme that resurfaced late in the third period.After Makar had a goal overturned following a successful goaltender interference challenge, Colorado stayed patient. Artturi Lehkonen made it 4-2 by finishing a clean two-on-one created by MacKinnon\u2019s puck theft along the boards. MacKinnon then sealed the game with his second goal, converting Martin Necas\u2019 feed from the slot to put the outcome beyond doubt.Colorado coach Jared Bednar praised the group\u2019s mentality and commitment, particularly after navigating penalty trouble and an unusual pregame absence. Valeri Nichushkin was held out as a precaution following a minor car accident, a disruption the Avalanche handled without losing structure.For Washington, the loss marked a third straight defeat. Despite Lindgren\u2019s 39 saves and competitive play through two periods, the Capitals struggled to generate sustained pressure late, a point echoed by both Spencer Carbery and Dylan Strome.As Colorado moves forward, the win was more about regaining momentum than individual milestones. MacKinnon may downplay his achievements, but nights like this show why the Avalanche remain a team to watch in the league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nathan MacKinnon hits 1,100 points (Image via: Getty Images) Nathan MacKinnon keeps finding new ways to define Colorado\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417847,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5114],"tags":[193,52241,1466,191,144,5,7095,517,4,19321,52240,190,109,5222],"class_list":{"0":"post-417846","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-capitals","8":"tag-avalanche","9":"tag-avalanche-vs-capitals","10":"tag-ball-arena","11":"tag-capitals","12":"tag-colorado-avalanche","13":"tag-hockey","14":"tag-mackinnon","15":"tag-nathan-mackinnon","16":"tag-nhl","17":"tag-nhl-milestones","18":"tag-nhl-points-record","19":"tag-washington","20":"tag-washington-capitals","21":"tag-washingtoncapitals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115927552691429075","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417846\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}