Few NHL players have made the type of impact that Colorado Avalanche veteran center Nathan MacKinnon has since the Nova Scotian entered the league 11 years ago, with 335 goals and 899 points to his name, to go with a point share total of 103.4 in 791 career games.
The 2014 Calder Award and 2024 Hart Trophy winner is coming off a career year for the Avs, having scored 51 goals and dishing out 89 assists (both career highs) for Colorado a year ago.
Through his 791 games in the 32-team league, MacKinnon has emerged as a bona fide playmaker for the 2022 Stanley Cup champions, bringing the question up of what the 29-year-old will do next.
BetColorado.com – your trusted source for Colorado sports betting coverage – broke down the numbers on MacKinnon’s career to see which teams the veteran center does his best and worst against to see how he may fare in 2024.
Who Does Nathan Mackinnon Play Best Against?
Rank | Team | Games Played Against | Total Points Against | Points Per Game |
1 | Ottawa Senators | 19 games | 31 points | 1.63 PPG |
T-2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 games | 29 points | 1.53 PPG |
T-2 | Detroit Red Wings | 19 games | 29 points | 1.53 PPG |
The data above can be helpful to those betting on Nathan MacKinnon on Colorado sports betting apps.
Through his decade-plus in the league, MacKinnon has achieved an extra level of success above his high standard against the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. He has scored a combined 89 points against those three teams in 57 career games.
Ottawa has seen the biggest output of MacKinnon’s generational talents, with the veteran center averaging a career-high 1.63 points per game against the Eastern Conference team, while the Lightning and Red Wings (1.53 PPG each) tied for second.
Who Does Nathan Mackinnon Play Worst Against?
Rank | Team | Games Played Against | Total Points Against | Points Per Game |
1 | Boston Bruins | 19 games | 14 points | 0.74 PPG |
2 | Florida Panthers | 20 games | 16 points | 0.80 PPG |
3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 18 games | 16 points | 0.89 PPG |
Conversely, the age-old saying that nobody’s perfect applies to MacKinnon when it comes to playing against NHL stalwarts like the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers.
That’s because the Massachusetts franchise has held MacKinnon to his lowest PPG total (0.74) of any NHL team, with the Avs’ center scoring 19 points against Boston in 14 career games, allowing the B’s to beat out the other two for the title of playing the best defense against him.
Overall, Florida (0.80 PPG/16 points in 20 games) and Philadelphia (0.89 PPG/16 points in 18 games) finished just behind Boston, illustrating just how well the three clubs have done in stifling MacKinnon’s prodigal talents over the last decade.
How Does Nathan Mackinnon Play Against Divisional Opponents?
Rank | Team | Games Played Against | Total Points Against | Points Per Game |
1 | Nashville Predators | 34 games | 40 points | 1.18 PPG |
2 | Arizona Coyotes (Now Utah) | 36 games | 41 points | 1.14 PPG |
3 | Dallas Stars | 41 games | 42 points | 1.02 PPG |
4 | Winnipeg Jets | 39 games | 38 points | 0.97 PPG |
Of the four teams that play Colorado the most (those being the current members of the NHL’s Central Division), the Winnipeg Jets have done the best job of shutting down the Avs’ center, giving up 0.97 PPG (38 points in 39 games).
Winnipeg finished ahead of the Dallas Stars (1.02 PPG/42 points in 41 games), Arizona Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club (1.14 PPG/41 points in 36 games) and the Nashville Predators (1.18 PPG/40 points in 34 games), speaking to the difficulty that comes from trying to contain the veteran forward on a nightly basis.
Now, MacKinnon and company’s task is to add another Stanley Cup banner into the Ball Center rafters this fall, with Bet365 Colorado listing the Avalanche at +1100 to win it all this season, ranking fifth overall alongside the Carolina Panthers in the 32-team league.
USA Today photo by Isaiah J. Downing.
Author
Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
