Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon Shines with Three-Point Night in 5-3 Victory Over Kraken

Nathan MacKinnon collected two goals and an assist, all in the third period, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken on December 16, 2025, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

The Avalanche improved to 5-0-1 in their last six games. Brock Nelson scored the tiebreaking goal, while Artturi Lehkonen and Samuel Girard also found the net for Colorado. Martin Necas, Cale Makar, and Valeri Nichushkin each recorded two assists, and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves.

For Seattle, Shane Wright, Jordan Eberle, and Chandler Stephenson scored, with goalie Philipp Grubauer stopping 33 of 37 shots against his former team. The Avalanche opened the scoring at 12:19 of the first period with Lehkonen redirecting Necas' shot.

Seattle tied the game at 3:03 of the second on an odd-man rush, with Wright batting in a rebound after a shot from Jani Nyman hit the post. Eberle then gave Seattle a 2-1 lead at 5:48 of the second, backhanding a rebound into an open net after Blackwood's sprawling save.

Colorado tied it again at 13:29 of the second with Girard's slap shot. The Kraken regained the lead on a man advantage with six seconds left in the second period, as Stephenson's shot deflected off Brent Burns' skate and between Blackwood's pads.

A scuffle at the start of the third period led to double minors for Colorado's Burns and Josh Manson, and Seattle's Mason Marchment and Brandon Montour. MacKinnon tied the game at 2:40 of the third with a slap shot that deflected off Adam Larsson.

At 8:25, Nelson scored the power play winner after MacKinnon's shot hit the end boards. MacKinnon sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 19:36, marking his league-leading 28th goal and 58th point of the season.

Seattle's loss marked their third straight and their ninth in ten games, dropping to 1-8-1 during that stretch.