Avalanche’ star Nathan MacKinnon left ‘shocked’ following Game 7 loss against Stars

Nathan MacKinnon and his team, the Colorado Avalanche, suffered a heartbreaking 4-2 loss in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars.

Avalanche’ star Nathan MacKinnon left ‘shocked’ following Game 7 loss against Stars

Nathan MacKinnon (Image via Daily Faceoff)

The Colorado Avalanche have once again suffered a playoff elimination at the hands of the Dallas Stars. The Avs conceded 4 times in the third period and lost 4-2 leaving forward star Nathan MacKinnon ‘shocked’ and confused.

The Avalanche entered the final game of this best-of-seven series with an emphatic 7-4 win in Game 6. They looked to be on their way to the second round in the third period when MacKinnon scored to make it 2-0 in their favor.

One of the former stars, Mikko Rantanen, came back to haunt them. The Finnish international, who joined the Avalanche in 2015, left them earlier this year through a trade.

The team traded him away to the Carolina Hurricanes. After a short, unsuccessful term with them, the Canes traded Rantanen to the Stars, where he signed a $96 million extension.

In Game 7, Rantanen single-handedly turned things around. Two goals within a 6-minute spell saw the Stars level it a 2-2. He then played a crucial part in Wyatt Johnston‘s go-ahead goal with less than 4 minutes remaining. Rantanen wrapped up the proceedings with an empty net goal in the final few seconds to complete his hat trick and dump out the Avalanche from the playoffs.

Following the game, MacKinnon admitted that it was a shocking defeat for his team as they were in complete control at one stage.

It’s pretty shocking. Felt like we were in total control and then Mikko, credit to him, he made some amazing plays. He was a difference-maker and he took over. I don’t know; I’m in shock to be honest with you. Felt like we were in complete control of the game the whole time and just lost it.

Nathan MacKinnon told the reporters as per NHL.com

This defeat marked the second straight year in which the Avalanche had been knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Stars. Last year, the Dallas-based outfit eliminated the Avs in six games during the second-round series.

Tough luck in Game 7 continues for Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche

The bad luck for the Colorado Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon continued on Saturday night. After winning Game 6, the Avs blew up a 2 goal lead in the third period of Game 7 against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center.

Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon (Image via ESPN)

Before this game, MacKinnon had a 0-4 record in Game 7. With his goal in the third period, it seemed that this record would change in a few minutes. However, the Stars produced a memorable comeback and broke the Avs’ heart once again. The Canadian international is now 0-5 in Game 7.

His team on the other hand, created an even bigger piece of unwanted sporting history. Following this loss, the Colorado Avalanche became the team in MLB/NBA/NHL to lose 7 consecutive Game 7s. Their last victory in a Game 7 came all the way back in 2002, 23 years ago.

Stars coach Peter DeBoer extends historic Game 7 record with 4-2 win over Avalanche

While Game 7 of any playoff series is nerve-wracking and tense, that does not seem to be the case with Dallas Stars’ head coach Peter DeBoer. On Saturday, he extended his historic Game 7 record with another huge win.

Peter DeBoer
Peter DeBoer (Image via Sportsnet)

The win in this match was his 9th Game 7 win. No coach or manager in the history of North American Sports (MLB/NBA/NHL) has won more Game 7s than him. He is also undefeated in this and has a perfect 9-0 record.

Meanwhile, his counterpart in this series, Jared Bednar, is now 0-4 in Game 7s. However, unlike Bednar, DeBoer has not lifted the Stanley Cup yet. He and his team would be hoping to change that this year as they get ready to face the winner of the Winnipeg Jets-St. Louis Blues series.

Also Read: