Avalanche coach Jared Bednar drops bar on Nathan MacKinnon possibly playing through broken face

The Colorado Avalanche are one win away from their first trip to the Western Conference Final in five seasons — and Nathan MacKinnon has been a catalyst.

The superstar forward is tied for fifth in playoff scoring with 12 points in eight games, and he’s been one of the main reasons the Avs are 7-1 in the postseason and on the verge of knocking out the Minnesota Wild.

He was excellent again in Game 4, although he suffered a scary injury after taking an inadvertent puck to the face from teammate Devon Toews in the second period. Blood leaked onto the ice, and MacKinnon was forced down the tunnel for the last couple minutes of the frame.

But he was back out there for the third, and scored into the empty net as the Avalanche sent the Wild to the brink of elimination with a 5-2 victory on Monday.

Head coach Jared Bednar addressed the ailment in perfect fashion ahead of Game 5.

“It won’t be an issue moving forward, even if it was broken,” the bench boss said on 92.5 FM – Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio.

“One of those things where it’s a long way from his legs and his heart.”

It would take a significant injury to keep MacKinnon off of the ice at this time of year, and it’s good to see his availability isn’t even remotely in question. Colorado has an opportunity to silence Minnesota in front of the home crowd at Ball Arena on Wednesday night.

“There’s no one else like him, really, in the league that plays that way with that sort of speed, ability, skill and then physicality and sort of emotion and passion,” Bednar continued.

“He’s one of one. Clearly, whatever he’s been doing — from a preparation standpoint, from the time he was a rookie in the league to now — it’s working.”

The Hart Trophy finalist should handle his usual workload as the Avalanche look to return to the West Final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup back in 2022.

Puck drops on what should be another thrilling contest between the Central Division rivals just past 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening.

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