Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon receives game misconduct after breakdown on the bench during home opener

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Tom Banks
October 13, 2024 (12:45)

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The Colorado Avalanche fell in shocking fashion in their home opener against Columbus, and it led to a major breakdown from Nathan MacKinnon.

Home openers are usually very special moments in the NHL, and the Colorado Avalanche's night was made that much more special by NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who presented Nathan MacKinnon with his Hart Trophy before the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

However, things only went downhill from there, as goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was pulled for the second straight game to start the season, and with an emotionally fuelled Blue Jackets team opposing them, they would come away with the shocking 6-4 victory. The highlight of the night for some came right at the end of the game as Columbus sealed the win with an empty net goal, as Avalanche alternate captain Nathan MacKinnon was red-hot on the bench, and after breaking his stick and going after the officials, he would receive a 10-minute game misconduct.

It's unclear what exactly made MacKinnon so mad on the bench, but with their second straight loss to start the season with the team giving up 14 goals over that time, it's easy to see why he's frustrated already. MacKinnon himself had a solid night on the ice, tallying a goal and an assist, but for a team that's looking to get back to the Stanley Cup, the 0-2-0 start to the season certainly isn't ideal.

With at least four top forwards still to come back in the next few months, this team isn't the final product for what we'll see come playoff time, so for their sake, hopefully MacKinnon can keep it together and get this team rolling when they do return.