Superstar center Nathan MacKinnon will make his season debut for the Avalanche Tuesday night against the Capitals.
MacKinnon flew into DC late last night after two consecutive negative tests for COVID-19. He had been out for a full week after testing positive for COVID-19, missing Colorado’s first two games.
Nathan MacKinnon in, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar confirms.
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 19, 2021
MacKinnon was asymptomatic the entire time he was held out of action.
Three-time NHL MVP finalist Nathan MacKinnon on being asymptomatic with COVID-19: "Didn't feel anything, so the vaccine must work."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 19, 2021
At the morning skate, he took rushes on the Avs first line with former Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky and Mikko Rantanen.
#Avs are going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight. Here's the lineup, per Jared Bednar:
Burakovsky-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Ranta-Kadri-Compher
Helm-Jost-O'Connor
Maltsev-KautGirard-Makar
Byram-E. Johnson
J. Johnson-Murray
MacDermidKuemper
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) October 19, 2021
The Avs will still be without their captain, Gabriel Landeskog, as he serves the second game of his suspension for boarding Chicago’s Kirby Dach.
Gabriel Landeskog receives a 2-game suspension for this hit on Kirby Dach pic.twitter.com/prOhqNQ4EC
— Four Feathers Podcast (@FourFeathersPod) October 14, 2021
MacKinnon has finished top three in Hart Trophy voting for league MVP in three of the past four seasons. He had 65 points in 48 games last season to go along with 15 more in ten playoff games.
