Nathan MacKinnon scores NHL goal 400, tallies another in commanding Colorado Avalanche win to end 2025
Nathan MacKinnon scored his 400th NHL goal in a commanding Colorado Avalanche win against the St. Louis Blues on New Year's Eve Wednesday. It came in the first period against goaltender Jordan Binnington and the visiting Blues at Ball Arena in Denver.
The Avalanche trounced their Central Division rivals in a score of 6-1 to cap 2025. The Avs quickly took the lead and managed four goals in under five minutes, not including a goal by defenseman Cale Makar that was waived off for goaltender interference. The Avs outshot the Blues 20-4 in the first period alone.
MacKinnon quickly followed up goal 400 with goal 401 in the first period. Both he and forward Valeri Nichushkin had a pair of goals each in the first. Both with a chance for a hat trick, it was Nichushkin who eventually completed a natural hat trick when he scored his third goal of the game in the final period. MacKinnon finished the game with 4 points.
Nate leads all skaters in goals with 34 to close the first half of the season. He joins just over 100 NHL players in league history who have recorded 400 or more goals in their career.
MacKinnon is now the third-highest scoring member in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history, only sitting behind Joe Sakic (625) and Michel Goulet (456). However, MacKinnon did pass Sakic in most goals solely scored as a member of the Avalanche when he scored goal 392 against the Florida Panthers at Ball Arena on Dec. 11. He also leads all skaters in Avalanche history in points, who were not members of the Nordiques prior to relocation. Sakic remains the all-time franchise leader with 1,641 career points.
Among other milestones for Avalanche players, defenseman Devon Toews learned he has been selected to join teammates MacKinnon and Makar to represent Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
An Avalanche perfectly describes what the hockey team in Denver has been, as it has taken the league by storm to close the 2025 calendar year. The Avs have single-handedly dominated the league from first puck drop to begin the regular season. Among the laundry list of stats, the Avs boast a positive goal differential of +66 as of publication. The Avalanche are also the last team left in the league to have allowed less than 100 goals by opponents through roughly 40 games across the league.
As the Avs skated off home ice in Denver before ringing in the new year, they had still only allowed two losses in regulation, both coming on the road.
With 43 regular season games remaining in the NHL, MacKinnon has a more than realistic chance to eclipse his career high in goals (51) with the current pace he has been scoring.