After a 5-4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, the mood at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, shifted, and Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t shy about saying how he felt.
The boos came during the third period when the Avalanche’s power play couldn’t capitalize. MacKinnon, who finished with a goal and two assists, didn’t appreciate it. What’s going on in Colorado?
Did Nathan MacKinnon Just Fire Back at Avalanche Fans After the Boos?
“I thought it was really good tonight. A lot of great chances,” MacKinnon said after the game. “I know we were getting booed, I guess they don’t really know what a good power play looks like. We had tons of chances, and just nothing was going in, and we finally got one. So, I guess they got to boo us more.”
Nathan MacKinnon:
Cheering? No.
Booing? Yes, absolutely, 100%. pic.twitter.com/l4tB2TVzLf
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) October 12, 2025
It was a pointed remark from a player who rarely holds back. MacKinnon’s goal came on the man advantage, giving him six points in three games to start the season. His early pace already echoes last year’s explosive start when he piled up 25 points in his first 13 outings.
The Avalanche looked in control for long stretches. They outshot Dallas 39-23 and carried play for much of the night, but Jake Oettinger was locked in. The Stars’ goaltender robbed Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen late to keep things level before Dallas sealed it in the shootout.
Thomas Harley and Wyatt Johnston scored for the Stars, while Jason Robertson added another. On the Colorado side, Martin Necas and rookie Gavin Brindley both found the back of the net in the second period.
Brindley’s first NHL goal drew big cheers, a moment head coach Jared Bednar later called a “big goal for us.”
Dallas erased a 3-2 deficit late in the second and took the lead early in the third. Lehkonen’s one-timer from a Nathan MacKinnon feed tied it again, and MacKinnon later ripped a power-play one-timer to make it 4-4. The game went the distance, with Mikko Rantanen, now wearing Dallas green, scoring the deciding goal in the shootout.
Colorado Shows Offensive Spark Even in Defeat
MacKinnon didn’t sound like a player ready to panic. “It was a fun game. Crowd was into it. We played really well. Just one of those nights. Bad bounces,” he said. Bednar shared the sentiment. “Our most dangerous offensive game of the year, by a mile,” the coach told reporters.
The night also carried a milestone as defenseman Brent Burns skated in his 1,500th career game, joining a short list of NHL defensemen to do so.
MacKinnon, meanwhile, logged his 99th career three-point game, one shy of joining franchise legends Joe Sakic and Peter Stastny in the “100 club.”
It wasn’t the result Colorado wanted, but the message from its captain was clear. The Avalanche played well enough to win, and MacKinnon wasn’t about to let a few boos drown that out.
