For advanced analysis, MVP It's really undisputed who was in this Stanley Cup Finals.
Forget about Cale Makar. Or Nikita Kucherov. Or even Valerie Nichushkin.
Nathan McKinnon beats them all.
The Colorado Avalanche Center ranks first in rush chances, cycle chances, forecheck chances, and expected goals. But what he's missing lately is a real goal.
Heading to Game 6, McKinnon found the back of the net only once. And that happened in a play where he was pointing in the wrong direction and the puck accidentally banked off behind his skates.
In other words, you can throw away all the flashy stats you want. But unless McKinnon returns to score in the first three rounds of the playoffs (when he scores 11 goals in 14 games), the avalanche will have a hard time finishing Tampa Bay Lightning. Leads 3-2 in the Best of Seven series.
This does not mean that McKinnon, who scored 4 points in 5 games in this series, is not effective. With the exception of Macar, he was the most influential (though not important) player in Colorado.
McKinnon shot a whopping 28 shots online for Game 6 on Sunday. Based on his percentage of shots and where those shots came from, it should reach somewhere near the expected targets of 12 to 13.
Of course, what is expected of him and what has been produced so far are two different things.
This is the time when the stars are expected to shine and are expected to fight through checks and leads, both on ice and on the scoresheet.
This is what McKinnon, who is ranked second in the goals in these playoffs, has come so far.
This 26-year-old player scored five goals in four sweeps in Nashville in the first round. He scored a hat-trick in important Game 5 with St. Louis, leading Colorado 3-2 in the second round. He then scored three goals and five points in four West Final games against Edmonton's Connor McDavid.
Prior to the final, McKinnon was asked if he needed to win the Stanley Cup to solidify his legacy as one of the best. He wiped out his question, saying he wasn't worried about his personal achievements. It was all about winning the team's Stanley Cup.
The question is whether Avalanche can win the championship without McKinnon doing his best.
"He knows he has to drive a bus," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar the other day. "But he's willing to help in other ways. He's really helped in other ways, helping people around him to be better players.
"It doesn't have to be a perfect game every night. It doesn't have to be a 3-point or 4-point night. He's a big checker for us in some of the series so far. I think he played and played against some fierce competition. He accepted it and came out on the good side of it, where he sees growth from Nate. "
Repeatedly However, with the exception of Macar, who scored 3 goals and 7 points in the final, it was a difficult series for most star players as it was taken over by depth players and unlikely heroes.
Kucherov has a goal and three assists. Stephen Stemkos has only a goal and two assists. Mikko Lantanen is still looking for his first goal.
On the other hand, Nichushkin has four goals and Tampa Bay's Ondrey Parat has three goals.
His honor does not mean that McKinnon has disappeared. The exact opposite. As advanced statistics show, he has power whenever he is on the ice. He leads the rush, creates opportunities and prevents opportunities. What he does not do is be rewarded for his efforts.
He spends most of the final against Anthony Cirelli, the winner of the future Selke Trophy, who has two goals and is a plus one in the final. That doesn't help. Or Mikhail Sergachev knocked him out of the pack with a potential breakout, or Patrick Maroon slamming him into the ice with a WWE-style move, and others took turns trying to slow him down. But for some reason there was no penalty.
Also, it doesn't help that the Mackinon stick gets cold at the worst moment. In Game 5, he defeated Vasilevsky on a breakaway deck, but slid his puck right next to the net. He is also a big reason why Gabriel Landeskog, who has three goals against his linemates Nichushkin and Tampa Bay, scored as much as they have.
"I definitely want to score a goal," said McKinnon, who sent a text message to Sidney Crosby from Halifax through these playoffs. "But I have to do my job there. (I) have to do really good defenses, create for my linemates, forecheck and do all the little things. Hmm. Stay aggressive and shoot the puck.
"I feel like they're coming in. I have to trust myself. That's all I can really do at this point. There is no doubt ... I need to find a few more lanes, but otherwise I just stick to it. "
He should break out soon. Since MacKinnon will be longer even if it is not MacKinnon, the doors that may make a comeback in Tampa Bay will open wider.
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