Is Nathan MacKinnon playing tonight against Canucks? Avalanche make big decision on star center

Nathan MacKinnon will miss Thursday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks as he remains out with an undisclosed injury. Coach Jared Bednar said MacKinnon - who hasn't missed any game all season - will “probably not” play either/both away back-to-backs on Saturday and Sunday. He had played in 209 straight games before this.

NHL insider Conor McGahey shared the news on X (formerly Twitter):

"MacKinnon won’t play tonight. May not play this weekend either."

Nathan MacKinnon (116 points) is tied with Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov for the most points in the league in 2024-25. With three games left, MacKinnon may not add to his total

The center was expected to win the Art Ross Trophy for the first time. A reporter questioned Bednar about whether he would like to see him go for it.

"I said it the other day. I'm listening to him, right? I don't think... individual accolades - I think they are nice, I think he has won a lot of them, his trophy case is hugh. I don't think it matters to him," Bednar said.

"I think winning has always been the most important thing to him, having accomplished that in 2022. I think he got a taste for it, and he wants to win again. So, like...He is gonna make his decisions based on us winning and him feeling the best he can possibly feel, come game 1 in Dallas."

A reporter followed up with a question about MacKinnon taking a rest. Replying to which, Bednar said,

"No, he is dealing with something too. You get to this point in the year, all these guys are dealing with something... I think rest is part of it though."

Nathan MacKinnon - who also played in the 4 Nations tournament for Canada - has amassed 32 goals and 84 assists this season.

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Cale Makar talked about Nathan MacKinnon's worth in the Avs lineup

Nathan MacKinnon became the first NHL player to reach 100 points this season, following his total of 140 points from 51 goals and 89 assists in the previous campaign.

Teammate Cale Makar spoke about MacKinnon’s value to the team.

"He's such a valuable player," Makar said, via Sportsnet.com. "Every single day, what he brings to our team is pretty incredible. In my mind, he's a runaway (MVP winner)."

Nathan MacKinnon is not the only player out tonight. Ryan Lindgren, Josh Manson and Jonathan Drouin are also unavailable. All three are out with upper-body injuries. The Avalanche are being careful with injuries as the playoffs get closer.