Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche are inevitable — but only the Stanley Cup will suffice

DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon took the Martin Nečas pass below the dot in the left circle and had all the time in the world, yet hardly any time at all. The clock was ticking: less than 90 seconds to go what felt like a 40-minute Minnesota Wild penalty kill, but MacKinnon was unhurried, unbothered and mostly unchecked. He dusted the puck off twice, and as Wild defenseman Jake Middleton inexplicably turtled in front of him, ripped a preposterous shot over Jesper Wallstedt’s left shoulder, the puck rattling around the top of the cage and nearly hitting the far post, tying the game.Ball Arena shook to its foundations.Advertisement