Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon will play in Game 4, coach Jared Bednar said Tuesday morning.

As the collection of media members shuffled out of a stunned Colorado Avalanche locker room Sunday night, the group went by the entrance to the Vegas Golden Knights room at T-Mobile Arena and something odd stuck out immediately.

At first, it looked like maybe just a bad stinger, like getting hit really hard on the funny bone.

Bo Nix’s ankle. Aaron Gordon’s calf. Nathan MacKinnon’s knee. Every time a Front Range team has looked about ready to lift a championship trophy, a key player suddenly couldn’t lift one of their arms.

All the Avs had to do was tie a knot and hold on for 40 minutes. Instead, they collapsed, went splat in one of the worst playoff periods in franchise history.

The Colorado Avalanche faced the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, May 24, 2025. Las Vegas won 4-3.