Nathan MacKinnon set a new career record in goals for a season with his 52nd on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames. His linemate, Martin Necas, intentionally passed him the puck to put in an empty net to earn the milestone.
“I was passing to him. He’s already higher in goals, so it’s pretty nice. And he would pass to me every time if he sees me there as well,” Necas said.
“He’s great, and he’s showing it on a daily basis.”
It is MacKinnon’s second 50-plus goal season. He is in the running for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, with Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield on his tail, trailing by two (as of April 10). If awarded the accolade, he will be the second player in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to earn it (Milan Hejduk, 2003).
The 30-year-old Nova Scotia native has won several trophies in his NHL career, including the Calder and Hart trophies and the Ted Lindsay Award.
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Avs coach Jared Bednar is proud of his superstar
“It’s great. I wish every one of our guys would hit a new career milestone every year. It’d be great. It’s not easy to do, somehow, Nate keeps finding a way to do it, though …,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “I’m glad he’s winning that race, and he’s hitting those types of milestones with some other guys that are doing the same kind of thing in their own way. Makes you feel good as a coach when you’re getting the most out of your guys, and you’re having success, is great.”
Michel Goulet owns the franchise’s No. 1 spot for most goals in a season with 57. Mikko Rantanen has 55 and Joe Sakic has 54. With four games left to play in the regular season, he could surpass all to set another new record.
