Colorado Avalanche alternate captain Nathan MacKinnon explained his fight with the Los Angeles Kings’ Brandt Clarke after the Avs opened their season with an 8-4 victory over their conference rivals.
MacKinnon scored twice Wednesday before dropping the gloves with Clarke with 6:40 remaining in the third period.
The exchange escalated before ending in the ultimate fight, as MacKinnon slashed Clarke in the left leg, with the Kings defenseman responding with a high stick before MacKinnon slashed him across the shins and challenged him. Already fighting, MacKinnon landed a series of right hands before Clarke went to the ice.
Speaking after the game, MacKinnon revealed the Kings defenseman said something that triggered the fight.
“Yeah, it happens,” MacKinnon said. “It’s an intense game. Obviously, he didn’t say a great word to me, so I didn’t like the word. Yeah, we fought.”
Clarke had already drawn Colorado’s attention earlier in the game after driving Cale Makar into the end boards during the second period. TJ Hughes responded by going after Clarke and received a roughing penalty.
“(Clarke) plays hard,” MacKinnon said. “He gets under guys’ skin. He’s a really good defenseman. But sometimes when you play like that, you have to fight sometimes.”
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Wednesday’s fight marked MacKinnon’s first since Dec. 27, 2024, when he dropped the gloves against the Utah Mammoth’s Barrett Hayton.
MacKinnon finished the Avs’ season opener with two goals and eight shots as Colorado scored four times in the second period. Even then, he still logged a minus-2 rating over his 17:44 of ice time.
The Avs won’t face the Kings again until Mar. 7, 2027. Colorado will next host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
More NHL Essentials
- NHL’s Top 25 Highest-Paid Players
- Every NHL Team Payroll, Ranked
- Best NHL Draft Steals of All Time
- NHL’s All-Time Career Earnings Rankings
- NHL Stanley Cup Final Matchups and Results Since 1918
