Nathan MacKinnon takes puck to the face, comes back bloodied but scores in Avs’ Game 4 win

Nathan MacKinnon took a clearing attempt square in the nose. Bednar, who took a puck to the face himself this season, said the return was 'never in doubt'

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

May 11, 2026, 9:51 PM

Follow on Google News

Watch: Why haven't the Avs gotten a deal done with Cale Makar? | Stokley and Evans with Mark Schlereth | 1 min

Nathan MacKinnon left Game 4 of Avalanche-Wild with 1:07 remaining in the second period after taking a Devon Toews clearing attempt square in the nose. Toews, under pressure in front of Mackenzie Blackwood, tried to fire the puck out of the defensive zone, but it caught the NHL’s regular-season goal-scoring leader flush in the face.

MacKinnon went down in a heap — blood gushing from his nose, streaming down the inside of his visor. A trainer rushed onto the ice and helped him to the locker room with a towel pressed over his face. The score was knotted 1-1.

Update: He's back for the 3rd period and JACKED UP

He's called Nate DOGG for a reason 😤 https://t.co/DcfF3wJdwp pic.twitter.com/bunOxPey9x

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 12, 2026

The Avs training staff patched him up in time for the start of the third period — a wild 20 minutes in which Colorado had to break the tie twice. Ross Colton made it 2-1 at 6:56, but Nico Sturm answered for Minnesota at 9:15 to even it again at 2-2. Parker Kelly scored what proved to be the game-winner at 11:32. MacKinnon’s empty-net goal at 19:27 — his sixth of the playoffs, assisted by Martin Necas — put the game on ice, and Brock Nelson added an unassisted empty-netter 25 seconds later to make the final 5-2.

“If he was going to be able to get out there, he was, he was going to be out there,” Jared Bednar said after the game. “I don’t think that was ever in doubt. I just felt just felt for him because I just went through that, it doesn’t feel very good. So you’re just hoping that your guy’s okay you know that’s, that’s the main thing, and then you feel for it because it sucks.”

Bednar missed a few games and took a trip to the hospital just as the regular season wrapped up after he took a puck to the face on the bench.

MacKinnon finished with one goal, a +1 rating, and 20:48 of ice time. He led the NHL with 53 goals and 127 points during the regular season and is a Hart Trophy finalist.

Colorado now holds a 3-1 series lead heading back to Ball Arena for Game 5. Teams that take a 3-1 lead have won 91.1% of playoff series in NHL history (328-32). While MacKinnon might be bruised for a few days, there was never a doubt he would return in Game 4 or that he’ll be ready for Game 5.

MacKinnon into the empty net and this one should be OVAAAAAA 🚨

THE MAN WAS BLEEDING ON THE ICE NEAR THE END OF THE 2ND NOW ICES IT 😭 pic.twitter.com/ytdJu4qEmC

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 12, 2026