Although Nathan MacKinnon acknowledged Dallas for eliminating them from the playoffs for a second straight year under head coach Pete DeBoer, he couldn’t help but speculate whether the outcome might have been different without a few questionable penalties.
“They just keep coming,” MacKinnon said. “Overall, I thought we played well enough to win the series. We were up 2-0 with ten minutes left. I’m not sure all those calls are ones you make in a Game 7, but that’s the way it goes. I still think we’re close. It’s disappointing to go out in the first round, but Dallas is a strong team.”
It’s hard to call the Avalanche-Stars dynamic a rivalry—it’s starting to feel more one-sided. Maybe that changes if Colorado can finally win a series against them.
While Dallas now chases its first Stanley Cup in over two decades, MacKinnon is turning his attention to the World Championship, where Team Canada opens against Slovakia at 6:20 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Key Points:
MacKinnon likely made the right call by staying composed rather than lashing out. Leaders like Joe Sakic and Detroit’s Steve Yzerman have always handled adversity with professionalism. When Dylan Larkin publicly criticized Yzerman over the Red Wings’ quiet trade deadline, it didn’t go over well. Had MacKinnon done the same, Sakic might have reacted similarly.
Though this season ended in frustration, MacKinnon showed maturity. Still, it’s become increasingly clear that trading Rantanen would have been a serious mistake.