Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche suffered a severe facial injury during a playoff game against the Minnesota Wild but returned to score an empty-net goal in the team's 5-2 victory. His resilience earned him praise from analysts and fans alike.
Mentioned in this story
Nathan MacKinnon earned praise from a hockey analyst after battling through a gruesome facial injury during the Colorado Avalanche‘s 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of their NHL second-round playoff series.
Late in the second period, Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews attempted to clear the puck out of the defensive zone. Instead, the puck struck MacKinnon directly in the face at close range, leaving the star forward crumpled on the ice as blood quickly poured from his nose and mouth area.
The frightening scene forced arena staff to clean the blood from the ice before play resumed. MacKinnon immediately headed to the dressing room for repairs, but the Avalanche star returned for the third period and later scored an empty-net goal to seal Colorado’s victory.
MORE: Avalanche coach Jared Bednar reacts to viral Nathan MacKinnon pool workout video
During Sportsnet’s postgame coverage, former NHL defenseman Kevin Bieksa joked about MacKinnon’s dramatic night while also praising his toughness.
“I usually don’t cheer for guys for empty-net goals, but I feel like MacKinnon deserved that empty-netter,” Bieksa said. “Yeah. His own teammate shoots the puck at his face, his nose is bleeding everywhere, and he prides himself on his looks. He likes to be a good-looking guy. Now he’s got the blood all under there. So he deserved that empty-netter.”
Bieksa also laughed about the amount of blood on the ice before highlighting MacKinnon’s willingness to return despite the painful injury.
“This was just such a big game,” Bieksa said. “Like, it’s 3-1 now in the series. So there’s the shot from Toews on a non-icing call, and he’s puddles of blood everywhere and, like a hockey player, gets up.”
Then Bieksa jokes, “Whenever your nose is bleeding, kids, lift your head up so all the blood goes over the ice so everybody can see it. That’s the key, right? Because you don’t wanna have a bloody nose and no one sees it, because it’s not really that much damage, but it looks cool.”
Nathan MacKinnon sustained a gruesome facial injury when a puck struck him in the face, causing significant bleeding.
Despite the injury, MacKinnon returned to the game and scored an empty-net goal, contributing to the Avalanche's 5-2 win.
Analysts, including former NHL player Kevin Bieksa, praised MacKinnon's toughness for returning to play after such a serious injury.

See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.

Colorado’s win gave the Avalanche a commanding 3-1 series lead as they moved within one victory of the Western Conference Final. Parker Kelly scored the game-winning goal in the third period, while Ross Colton also netted his first postseason goal.
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves in his first postseason start, helping Colorado recover after a difficult Game 3 loss.
Talking about the win, Bieksa said, “This was such a monster, monster game.”
MacKinnon’s return after the injury became one of the defining moments of the night and has added a new chapter to his playoff reputation for toughness.