The eyes of four players in dark jerseys followed Nathan MacKinnon as he roared down the right wing and swooped behind the net.

When he reached the goal line to the left of the goaltender, Martin Necas slowed up just before the opposite faceoff circle. By the time MacKinnon reached the other side of the net, the guys in dark jerseys were already cooked.

Necas had glided to his right, and the 2024 MVP slipped the puck past all four of them to him. Necas calmly received the pass, took a beat and fired home the first goal of the Colorado Avalanche’s 2025-26 season.

The 26-year-old from Czechia added another goal on another wicked wrister later in the game. Colorado’s season was off and running with a 4-1 victory in Los Angeles. It couldn’t have started any better for Necas, who is in the f

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