Avalanche Center Named First Star of Week

Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche had a tremendous week. He became the first player this season to hit the 100-point mark as he dominated over the past three contests. The Avs are cruising after this year's Trade Deadline, and MacKinnon was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for the week ending March 9th.

Joining the Avalanche center as the other Stars of the Week were Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson and Nashville Predators winger Steven Stamkos. Wilson was named the Third Star after his scoring output, while Stamkos took home the Second Star honors as he finds his game in Nashville.

MacKinnon played in three games during the past week. Going against his old pal Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, he recorded two assists in the victory.

He followed that up with a monstrous performance against the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks could not contain MacKinnon, and he erupted for two goals and three assists for five points over 17 shifts. It was his third five-point performance of the 2024-2025 season.

His last contest of the week was another multi-point effort, this time against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He netted another two goals while playing 25 minutes of ice time. The pair of goals gave him 27 tallies on the year and 100 points in just 64 games. In total, he finished the week with four goals and five assists for nine points to lead all NHL players.

MacKinnon is on his way to an Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. He has a bit of a cushion over Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, and the way he's playing suggests Draisaitl will remain in second place. MacKinnon could also earn a second straight MVP award as he leads the Avalanche up the Central Division standings and into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.