Nathan MacKinnon is going through the first speed bumps of his career and is in the midst of a goal scoring drought. With only five goals so far this season, he has ways to go to match his 24 from last year.
However, his hands, skills, and quick-release, have made him the Avalanche’s best player in the shootout. He is a perfect 4-for-4 this year in the individual skills competition part of the game and it doesn’t seem as if goalies have him figured out quite yet.
Below is footage of all four of his attempts including one from this year’s Burgundy and White game, an annual Avalanche intrasquad match.
See any similarities?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeNvqgcWDlo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yuBQDxvVc
How to stop MacKinnon (if you’re a goalie)
MacKinnon’s release is so quick that it’s hard to recover once he has you beat on his first move. A goalie’s only chance is to try and stay square against MacKinnon and force him to go backhand. Unless that is another move MacKinnon is saving for the second half of the season and Sidney Crosby, his summer time training partner, has given him a few pointers. In which case, we will continue to see goalies’ jockstraps hanging from the rafters after every Avalanche shootout game.